Ziggurat of Assur (Qal'at Sherqat)
Old Akkadian to Middle Assyrian, c.2600–1200 BCE·Assyrian·🇮🇶 Saladin Governorate, Al-Shirqat District, Iraq
About
About Ziggurat of Assur (Qal'at Sherqat)
Ziggurat of Assur at Qal'at Sherqat — holy city of Ashur, earliest Assyrian capital (c.2600–614 BCE, core Old Akkadian/Ur III, restored Shamshi-Adad I, Shalmaneser I). 60 × 60 m base, c.36 m original height, mudbrick encased in limestone ashlar, dedicated to Ashur. Andrae 1903-13, UNESCO 1130 Ashur (Qal'at Sherqat) inscribed 2003, endangered.
Why it mattersFirst Assyrian ziggurat; prototype for Kalhu and Khorsabad.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Ushpia mythic founder vs archaeological horizon
Theories
- 01Mountain not built but conceptually transplanted
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- c.2150 BCE (Ushpia) restored c.1800 and 1270 BCE
- Period
- Old Akkadian to Middle Assyrian, c.2600–1200 BCE
- Culture
- Assyrian
- Builders
- Assyrian (Shamshi-Adad I, Ushpia, Shalmaneser I)
- Purpose
- High temple of god Ashur — city-god mountain
- Excavation
- Excavated
c.2150 BCE (Ushpia) restored c.1800 and 1270 BCE
Initial construction / foundation
c.500 CE
Major refurbishment / enlargement phase
c.1100 CE
Abandonment or conversion
1890–1930
Modern rediscovery and first scientific survey
On the ground
Structures & features
35.4560° N · 43.2610° E · 110 m · 2 mapped features
Ziggurat massif and Ashur temple forecourt
zigguratMassif abutting Ashur temple (Old Temple) forecourt with stone paving
35.4561° N · 43.2609° ESouth stair and temple enclosure wall
stairMonumental stair on south face and temple enclosure mudbrick wall
35.4558° N · 43.2612° E