Chogha Zanbil

Also known as Dur Untash (Elamite: Al Untas Napirisa), this ancient Elamite complex sits in the arid heart of the Khuzestan Province (/Khuzestan_Province), Iran (/Iran). It is one of the few surviving ziggurats (/Ziggurat) outside the cradle of Mesopotamian civilization, and it enjoys a reputation as the best‑preserved example of a stepped‑pyramid monument worldwide.

Chogha Zanbil shown within Iran

Location: Khuzestan Province , Iran
Coordinates: 32°0′30″N 48°31′15″E / 32.00833°N 48.52083°E
Type: Settlement, History, Builder – Untash‑Napirisha
Founded: c. 1250 BC
Abandoned: c. 645 BC
Cultures: Elamite
Site notes: Excavation dates 1935–39, 1946, 1951–1961, 1999, 2002, 2004–2005; Archaeologists – Roland de Mecquenem, Roman Ghirshman , Behzad Mofidi Nasrabadi
Condition: In ruins

History

Chogha Zanbil is typically translated as “basket mound.” It was erected around 1250 BC by the Elamite king Untash‑Napirisha primarily to honor the great god Inshushinak . Its original name, Dur Untash, means “town of Untash,” though it is doubtful that anyone other than priests and servants ever called it home. The complex is bounded by three concentric walls that delineate distinct zones: the outermost wall once boasted seven gates (only two have been uncovered), the middle wall had four, and the innermost area—roughly 2.5 hectares—houses the monumental ziggurat built atop an earlier square temple commissioned by Untash‑Napirisha.

The middle zone shelters eleven temples dedicated to a pantheon that includes Nabu , Adad , Shala , Inanna , Ninegal , Humban , Shimut , Pinikir , Manzat , and Nuska . Additional sanctuaries northeast of the ziggurat honor the Elamite deities Ishmekarab and Kiririsha . A brick inscription records a golden statue dedicated to Nahhunte . While brick records mention twenty‑two temples, only about half have been identified.

The outermost area contains royal palaces and a funerary palace that shelters five subterranean royal tombs.

The ziggurat originally measured 105.2 metres (345 ft) on each side, rose in five levels to a height of about 53 metres (174 ft), and was crowned with a sanctuary. Its core was mud‑brick, later faced with baked bricks bearing cuneiform dedications in both Elamite and Akkadian. Though today it stands only 24.75 metres (81.2 ft) tall—less than half its presumed original height—its preservation outshines any other stepped‑pyramid of its kind, a fact that UNESCO (/UNESCO) proudly notes.

The site was ultimately razed by the Neo‑Assyrian monarch Ashurbanipal around 645 BC, simultaneously destroying the Elamite capital Susa . Some scholars speculate that Untash‑Napirisha envisioned Chogha Zanbil as a new religious hub intended to supersede Susa, uniting highland and lowland Elamite deities under one roof.

Archaeology

A bronze axe bearing the king’s name provides one of the few surviving artifacts bearing his insignia. The site covers 96 hectares and was first spotted by a geologist engaged in oil exploration who stumbled upon an inscribed brick and passed it to the team excavating nearby Susa .

Initial surveys and limited digs were conducted by Roland de Mecquenem in 1935–39 and again in 1946. Full‑scale excavations ran from 1951 to 1962 under the direction of Roman Ghirshman , who removed roughly 100,000 cubic yards of debris using a rotating crew of 100–125 laborers. The work revealed a quadrangle of walls enclosing a sacred precinct, a five‑stage ziggurat at its heart, and cardinally aligned corners. Gates punctuated each side; three provided stairways to the second level, while the southwest gate climbed to the fifth and highest level. Half‑life‑size statues—some fashioned from blue‑glazed terracotta and inscribed to Inshushinak —guarded each entrance.

Excavations demonstrated that the ziggurat was erected in two distinct phases: the first raised it to the second level, incorporating two temples; later, a more ambitious campaign extended it to the fifth level. White and black glass tiles were discovered within one of the inner temples, hinting at sophisticated decorative schemes.

Five subterranean tombs lie beneath courtyard rooms. Tomb 1 appears to have remained unused; Tomb V suffered ancient looting; Tomb II held partially burned remains of five individuals (cremated elsewhere); Tomb IV—untouched—contained an adult female aged 40–60, accompanied by an array of grave goods.

A cache of 5,257 inscribed bricks was recovered, the majority in Elamite, with a minority in Akkadian. One particularly eloquent brick reads:

“I, Untaš‑Napiriša, son of Humbanumena, king of Anšan and of Susa, anxious for my life to be continually prosperous, so that I may not be granted the extinction of my prosperous lineage, a temple of baked bricks and a sanctuary of glazed bricks I built; I gave it to Inšušinak of the Siyan‑kuk and I a temple tower erected. May what I made and toiled for, as a gift on my behalf, be acceptable to Inšušinak!”

More recent fieldwork led by Behzad Mofidi Nasrabadi in 1999, 2002, 2004, and 2005 incorporated a 35‑hectare magnetometer survey conducted by the University of Kiel .

Threats

Petroleum exploration now looms as a modern peril. Rising global demand has prompted seismic tests and drilling as close as 300 metres (984 ft) from the ziggurat’s foundations, jeopardizing the site’s integrity.

Gallery

• Zigurat of Dur Untash
• Profile view of Dur Untash Zigurat structure
• [Similar Zigurat structures in Iraq: The ziggurat of Dur‑Kurigalzu ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dur-Kurigalzu )
• [Similar Zigurat structures in Iraq: Ziggurat of Ur ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ziggurat_of_Ur )
• The Ziggurat at Chogha Zanbil is one of the main Ziggurats
• Glazed (originally blue) door plaque with boss. The Elamite cuneiform inscription reads “Palace of Untash‑Napirisha, King of Elam”. 13th century BCE. From Chogha Zanbil, Iran. British Museum

Notes

^ also Tchoga Zanbil and Čoġā Zanbīl; Persian : چغازنبيل, Elamite : Al Untas Napirisa , later Dur Untash