Eurmeiminanki — ziggurat
Borsippa · Birs Nimrud, Iraq · The ziggurat already existed in the 2nd millennium BCE (inside the later structure lies a core of Kassite date); the Neo-Babylonian rebuilding was completed by Nebuchadnezzar II (604–562 BCE), and Nabonidus (555–539 BCE) also carried out work
The burnt “finger” of Birs Nimrud was long taken for the Tower of Babel. It is the ziggurat of Nabu, god of writing: its core melted in a fire and fused into a glassy mass. Nebuchadnezzar never managed to finish all the tiers.
Dossier
- Type: Neo-Babylonian
- Ancient city: Borsippa
- Modern location: Birs Nimrud, Iraq
- Deity: Nabu
- Dating: The ziggurat already existed in the 2nd millennium BCE (inside the later structure lies a core of Kassite date); the Neo-Babylonian rebuilding was completed by Nebuchadnezzar II (604–562 BCE), and Nabonidus (555–539 BCE) also carried out work
- Builders: Nebuchadnezzar II (the main building campaign); also Nabonidus; a possible earlier patron was Ashurbanipal
- Material: Mud brick (a core of 60×60 m), baked brick laid in bitumen (facing), and an upper temple with blue glazed facing
- Plan: A square base of ~78×78 m; seven tapering tiers (presumed), with the temple of Nabu at the summit
- Base: 78 × 78 m
- Height (originally): about 70 m
- Height (surviving): about 52 m
- Tiers: 7
- Survived: yes, the ruins can be visited
What matters
Of the ziggurat of Nabu there survives the burnt core of the upper part — the “Tongue Tower”, about 52 m high: in places the masonry fused in a fire and vitrified. Excavations give a base of about 78×78 m; the original height is estimated at roughly 70 m with seven tiers, but both that figure and the number of steps are largely a reconstruction.