chogha Zanbil (Persian: چغازنبیل); Elamite: Dur Untash) is an ancient Elamite complex in the
khuzestan province of
Iran.
chogha in Bakhtiari means hill.
It is one of the few existent ziggurats outside of Mesopotamia. It lies approximately 42 km (26 mi) south-southwest of Dezfoul, 30 km (19 mi) west of Susa and 80 km (50 mi) north of
Ahvaz.
Choga Zambil means 'basket mound. It was built about 1250 BC by the king Untash-Napirisha, mainly to honor the great god Inshushinak. Its original name was Dur Untash, which means 'town of Untash', but it is unlikely that many people, besides priests and servants, ever lived there.
The complex is protected by three concentric walls which define the main areas of the 'town'. The inner area is wholly taken up with a great ziggurat dedicated to the main god, which was built over an earlier square temple with storage rooms also built by Untash-Napirisha.
The middle area holds eleven temples for lesser gods. It is believed that twenty-two temples were originally planned,
...see more but the king died before they could be finished, and his successors discontinued the building work.
In the outer area are royal palaces, a funerary palace containing five subterranean royal tombs.
reference: wikipedia.org
