Chogha Zanbil

31.88333333333348.883333333333Koordinaten: 31 ° 53 '0 "N, 48 ° 53' 0" E

Choga Zanbil (Persian چغا زنبيل / tʃo ˌ γɔ ː zæmbi ː l /, antique major Untasch ) is a medium - Elamite royal capital by the king Untasch - Napirischa ( Untasch -GAL ) ( 1275-1240 BC), the son of Humban - Numena was founded. The city is located about 40 km southeast of Susa ( Shush ) in the province of Khuzestan in today's Iran. Like other oriental ruler of about the same time also left Untasch - Napirischa the ancient capital of his country to found a new city. The city is perhaps created along the lines of major Kurigalzu. Around 640 BC major Untasch was conquered by the troops of the Assyrian king Ashurbanipal. But the town was inhabited until about the end of the Elamite era in the 6th century BC.

Name

The name Choga Zanbil means "basket hill ". Other spellings of the name: Chogha Zanbil, Tsoga Zambil, Tchoga Zanbil.

Topography

The city is about 100 ha in size and surrounded by a wall.

Temple

In the middle is a walled temple district, at its heart, a still 25 m high ( probably originally about 50 m high ) is ziggurat, which is one of the best-preserved temple towers of Mesopotamia. She has a side length of 105 m and is the oldest known ziggurat found in Elam. It consisted of a high temple on four terraces and Napirischa and Inschuschinak was consecrated. The ziggurat was built on a flat temple of Inschuschinak, which was clogged with mud bricks. Access was not via exterior stairs, as in Mesopotamia, but stairs inside. The temple was probably covered with glazed tiles, the upper floors decorated with glazed bricks knob ( Tonnägeln ). At the temple portals half - life-size clay statues of bulls and griffins were found. On the back of the bull figure is a consecration inscription on Inschuschinak. Within the ziggurat itself landings and smaller single storey temple, which contained votive offerings were. On it a processional led to that was paved with brick fragments.

Near the ziggurat were three other temples, one of which was dedicated to the goddess Kiririscha. Other temples were located in the temenos area. Outside the Temenos only a temple south of the palaces was built. He was dedicated to the god Nusku. Ghirshman sees in him a precursor of Persian Fire Temple as the central space was not covered.

Palaces

In the north- east of the city four palaces, which were structured around central courtyards and probably follow Cassite models were. The facades were decorated with colored relief tiles. Ivory inlays were probably too precious furniture.

In the southern palace there were five underground tombs. Few remains of burials were found.

Water supply

Since the location next to the River City in December is deeply incised into the terrain and the water table is more than 50 meters deep, the water had to be obtained through a 50 km long canal from the river Karkheh near Susa. The canal was built by Untasch - Napirischa. He led past the prison Tepe and ended in a visible today large reservoir off the northwestern city wall. This was in conjunction with other subsequent smaller basins, the objective of the treatment of the water before being fed into the fine distribution of the city. The 3000 year old structure is the oldest water treatment plant in the world.

History of Research

Choga Zanbil was discovered in 1935 from an airplane by geologists who were in the area for oil. Excavations by French teams novel Ghirshman found mainly in 1936, 1939 and 1951 held until 1962. From 1999 to 2005, further archaeological investigations were carried out under the direction of B. Mofidi Nasrabadi under a UNESCO project in Choga Zanbil.

Important findings

• Half - life-size clay statues of bulls and griffins
• Numerous frit - seal in the notch cut style
• Female figure of frit from the temple of Pinikir
• Silver Votivaxt from the temple of Pinikir, decorated with a lion's head and boars