The stepped tower
Sloping walls, huge staircase.
Alli Khalil — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Alli Khalil — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Alli Khalil — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Alli Khalil — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Alli Khalil — CC BY-SA 4.0
The Ziggurat of Ur is a Sumerian temple tower near Nasiriyah in southern Iraq, built in the 21st century BC under King Ur-Nammu. It is among the best preserved ziggurats in Mesopotamia. Ur and other ancient cities form part of the Ahwar site on the UNESCO list since 2016. It had crumbled by the 6th century BC, when King Nabonidus restored it. International teams led by Leonard Woolley excavated it in the 1920s and 1930s. In the 1980s its remains were encased by a partial reconstruction of the facade and staircase. Later religious traditions link a nearby building to the patriarch Abraham, a story with no confirmed archaeological proof. You see the stepped tower with its sloping walls and huge staircase climbing towards the top, the strongest sight on the site. Around it spreads the ancient city, including the Royal Cemetery, the Palace of Ur-Nammu and an old arched gate of brick. Bilingual panels explain the main parts, but a guide makes the picture clearer. It is about 17 km in a straight line from Nasiriyah, and a car is the best way there. The ground is exposed with no shade, so visit in the morning or before sunset and bring water and dinars. The UK Foreign Office currently advises against all but essential travel to this area, so check official guidance before planning.
Sloping walls, huge staircase.
A famous part of Ur.
An old brick arch.
Ur, near Nasiriyah, Dhi Qar Governorate, Iraq
Only in part, as the remains were encased by a facade and staircase rebuilt in the 1980s.
It is a later religious tradition, with no confirmed archaeological proof.