
Chogha Zanbil is an ancient Elamite
complex in the Khuzestan province of Iran.
It is one of the few extant ziggurats outside of Mesopotamia. It lies
approximately 25 kilometeres west Dezfoul, 45 kilometres south of Susa
and 230 kilometres north of Abadan by way of Ahvaz, which is 120
kilometres away.
It was built about 1250 BC by the king Untash-Napirisha, mainly to
honour the great god Inshushinak. Its original name was Dur Untash,
which means 'town of Untash', but it is unlikely that many people,
besides priests and servants, ever lived there. The complex is protected
by three concentric walls which define the main areas of the 'town'. The
inner area is wholly taken up with a great ziggurat dedicated to the
main god, which was built over an earlier square temple with storage
rooms also built by Untash-Napirisha. The middle area holds eleven
temples for lesser gods. It is believed that twenty-two temples were
originally planned, but the king died before they could be finished, and
his successors discontinued the building work. In the outer area are
royal palaces, a funerary palace containing five subterranean royal
tombs.
Although construction in the city abruptly ended after
Untash-Napirisha's death, the site was not abandoned, but continued to
be occupied until it was destroyed by the Assyrian king Ashurbanipal in
640 BCE. Some scholars speculate, based on the large number of temples
and sanctuaries at Chogha Zanbil, that Untash-Napirisha attempted to
create a new religious center (possibly intended to replace Susa) which
would unite the gods of both highland and lowland Elam at one site.
Archaeological excavations undertaken between 1951 and 1962 revealed the
site again, and the ziggurat is considered to be the best preserved
example in the world. In 1979, Chogha Zanbil became the first Iranian
site to be inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
See Also:
Tchogha Zanbil in UNESCO world Heritage List

A informative video about Chogha Zanbil
