The mud-brick core
A huge tower above the plain.
Osama Shukir Muhammed Amin FRCP(Glasg) — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Osama Shukir Muhammed Amin FRCP(Glasg) — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Osama Shukir Muhammed Amin FRCP(Glasg) — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Osama Shukir Muhammed Amin FRCP(Glasg) — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Osama Shukir Muhammed Amin FRCP(Glasg) — CC BY-SA 4.0
The Aqar Quf Ziggurat is the remains of an ancient temple tower at the city of Dur-Kurigalzu, west of Baghdad, built by a Kassite king of Babylon. Its huge mud-brick mass rises above flat ground and can be seen from far away. It is the closest ancient Mesopotamian site to the capital, so it is easy to reach in half a day. The city was founded by the Kassite king Kurigalzu I, who died about 1375 BC. It mattered enough to appear on place lists in the temple of Pharaoh Amenophis III in Egypt. It was abandoned after the fall of the Kassite dynasty about 1155 BC. The ziggurat stands about 52 m tall and long served as a landmark for caravans approaching Baghdad. You see the original core of the tower in mud brick, threaded with layers of reed matting that bind the structure, and around it lower walls rebuilt in modern brick. A paved path leads to the foot of the tower. The palace and temple remains appear as low mounds, so imagine the city around you as you walk. The site is about 16 km in a straight line from central Baghdad, and a car is the best way to reach it. There is little shade, so bring a hat and water and avoid the midday heat, above all in summer. The UK Foreign Office currently advises against all but essential travel to this area, so check official guidance before planning.
A huge tower above the plain.
Matting binding the structure.
Brick rebuilt in modern times.
Aqar Quf, west of Baghdad, Iraq
The Kassite king Kurigalzu I, who ruled from Babylon in the 14th century BC.
About an hour is enough to walk around the tower, plus the drive from Baghdad.