Ziggurat of Ur
The moon-god's temple tower in Avraham's home city
Found 1854 — J. E. Taylor (British consul) identified it as Ur; fully excavated by Sir Leonard Woolley 1922–1934
Where Tell el-Muqayyar (ancient Ur), Iraq (Iraq)
Dates from c. 2100–2050 BCE (rebuilt c. 550 BCE) · Ur III period · Generation of Avraham's ancestors; the age of 'towers' in Genesis 11
Now at In situ at Ur, Iraq (foundation cylinders in the British Museum)
How Ziggurat of Ur was found
Taylor found foundation cylinders naming Ur in 1854; Woolley cleared and studied the whole structure in the 1920s–30s. Partially reconstructed under Saddam Hussein in the 1980s.
What it is
A stepped mudbrick platform about 64 by 46 meters at the base, faced with baked brick set in bitumen, built by King Ur-Nammu and finished by his son Shulgi as the temple of the moon-god Nanna. Three staircases meet at a gate on the first terrace.
Why it matters for the Bible
This is the best-preserved ziggurat in Iraq and shows exactly what a Mesopotamian 'tower with its top in the heavens' looked like. It stood in the city Genesis names as Avraham's starting point, dedicated to the moon-god also worshiped at Haran. It illustrates the religious world Avraham was called out of, and the kind of building behind the Babel story.
The Hebrew word: mig-DAHL
מִגְדָּל
מִגְדָּל is pronounced mig-DAHL and means tower (Strong's H4026).
People this discovery connects to
- Abraham — אַבְרָהָם (av-rah-HAHM) — father of a multitude
Places
- Ur of the Chaldeans — אוּר כַּשְׂדִּים (OOR kas-DEEM) — Ur of the Kasdim
Events
Building of towers in Shinar · Avraham's ancestors serving other gods beyond the River
Ziggurat of Ur in Scripture
Genesis 11:4 A tower 'with its top in the heavens' describes a ziggurat's purpose and form.
Genesis 11:28 Names Ur of the Chaldeans as the home of Terach's family. (First mention of Ur of the Chaldees.)
Joshua 24:2 Yehoshua recalls that Terach's family served other gods beyond the River; the ziggurat was Ur's chief shrine.
Questions people ask
What is Ziggurat of Ur?
A stepped mudbrick platform about 64 by 46 meters at the base, faced with baked brick set in bitumen, built by King Ur-Nammu and finished by his son Shulgi as the temple of the moon-god Nanna. Three staircases meet at a gate on the first terrace.
When was Ziggurat of Ur discovered?
It was found in 1854 by J. E. Taylor (British consul) identified it as Ur; fully excavated by Sir Leonard Woolley 1922–1934, at Tell el-Muqayyar (ancient Ur), Iraq.
Where is Ziggurat of Ur today?
In situ at Ur, Iraq (foundation cylinders in the British Museum).
Which Bible verses does Ziggurat of Ur relate to?
Genesis 11:4, Genesis 11:28, Joshua 24:2.
Related discoveries
- אוּרRoyal Tombs of UrThe wealth of the city Avraham's family left behind
- אֲחֻזַּת קֶבֶרCave of Machpelah (Herodian Enclosure)Herod's monument over the traditional tomb of the patriarchs
- עֲנָקִיםHebron (Tell Rumeida)Caleb's city, with Bronze Age walls and Late Bronze occupation
- כְּתֹנֶת פַּסִּיםBeni Hasan Tomb Painting of SemitesA caravan of 'Asiatics' entering Egypt in the days of the patriarchs
- חֶבְרוֹןHebron (Tel Rumeida)Cyclopean walls of the Canaanite city where Avraham settled
- אֵל עֶלְיוֹןGenesis Apocryphon (1QapGen)An Aramaic retelling of Genesis with Lamech, Noah and Abraham speaking in their own voices