Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq,
is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to the north, Iran to
the east, the Persian Gulf and Kuwait to the southeast, Saudi Arabia to the
south, Jordan to the southwest and Syria to the west. The capital and largest
city is Baghdad. Iraq is home to diverse ethnic groups including Arabs, Kurds,
Turkmens, Assyrians, Armenians, Yazidis, Persians, Shabakis, Sabian-Mandaeans,
Circassians, and Kawliya, with similarly diverse geography and wildlife. The
majority of the country’s 40 million citizens are Muslims, and other recognized
religions include Christians, Yarsans, Yezidis, Zoroastrianism and Mandaeans.
The official languages of Iraq are Arabic and Kurdish, with other recognized
regional languages being English, Neo-Aramaic, Turkish and Armenian.
Dur-Kurigalzu was a city in southern
Mesopotamia, near the confluence of the Tigris and Diyala rivers, about 30
kilometres (19 mi) west of the center of Baghdad. It was founded by a Kassite
king of Babylon, Kurigalzu, some time in the 14th century BC, and was abandoned
after the fall of the Kassite dynasty. The prefix Dur- is an Akkadian term
meaning "fortress of", while the Kassite royal name Kurigalzu, since
it is repeated in the Kassite king list, may have a descriptive meaning as an
epithet, such as "herder of the folk (or of the Kassites)". The city
contained a ziggurat and temples dedicated to Mesopotamian gods, as well as a
royal palace. The ziggurat was unusually well-preserved, standing to a height
of about 52 metres (171 ft).
The town of Dur Kurigalzu was founded
by the Kassite King Kurigalzu I in the late 15th or early 14th century BC and
is situated along an east–west-trending limestone ridge between the Euphrates
and Tigris rivers. Until the last century, the adjacent Aqar Quf depression
would have been inundated with flood water part of the year. This site had
access to fresh water from the Euphrates by means of the Isa Canal, known as
the Patti-Enlil Canal in ancient times. The city functioned as the capital of
Babylonia during the reign of Kurigalzu, and either as the capital or at least
an important city during the period after. It was occupied continuously until
the fall of the Kassite Dynasty in the 12th century BC, when it was largely
abandoned. The temple area, at least, was known to be active in the 7th century
BC and in the Neo-Babylonian period. Up until recently (mostly between the 9th
and 14th centuries AD), there have been smaller occupations at parts of Aqar
Quf, with areas of the site being used for burials and for Arab settlement.
In Kassite times the area was defined
by a large wall that enclosed about 225 hectares (560 acres). The shape of the
city is elongated and features several mounds, perhaps reflecting a functional
separation of the parts of the site. The hill of Aqar Quf is dominated by the
most visible monument at the site, a ziggurat devoted to the main god of the
Babylonian pantheon, Enlil. Because of the uniformity of architectural
features, the ziggurat and surrounding temple complexes appear to have been
founded by the Kassite king, Kurigalzu. The ziggurat measured 69 by 67.6 metres
(226 ft × 222 ft) at its base. It was approached by three main staircases
leading up to the first terrace, which has been reconstructed by the Iraqi
Directorate-General of Antiquities. The surrounding temple-complex has only
been excavated on the south-west side of the ziggurat. The palace area of Tell
al-Abyad consists of several stratigraphic architectural layers, which suggests
several phases of building in this area over the entire stretch of the Kassite
period, and therefore has great potential to yield an invaluable sequence of
pottery and other material for the period. Associated tablets confirm that the
structure was occupied throughout the Kassite period. The palace has innovative
architectural features, being constructed in modules of three rooms around
large courts. In addition, excavators also discovered a treasury on the east of
the palace and a probable throne room or royal reception/ceremonial chamber.
For 16 seasons in the 1960s and 1970s
the Iraqi government did conservation and restoration work at the site. Aqar
Quf is currently suffering environmental damage and urban encroachment. Natural
factors like rain and standing groundwater have contributed to the erosion of
the ziggurat and damage to the ruins, especially along the south-west side. As
a result of this damage, the ziggurat is in danger of further deterioration as
well as collapse if preventive measures are not taken. The suburbs and industrial
areas of Baghdad also continue developing near to the site. Currently there is
encroachment of modern construction along some stretches of the enclosure wall.
There is also agricultural encroachment along the enclosure wall, especially on
the south-west side. Iraqi Army maneuvers, involving trenches, did some damage
to the site in the 1980s.
The ziggurat suffered damage as a
result of the U.S. invasion of Iraq, when the site was abandoned and looted
during the security breakdown and chaos that followed the U.S. military's
overthrow of Saddam Hussein. Little is left of the modern administration
building, museum, event stage and restaurant that once served the picnickers
and students who visited the site before the war. Local government officials and
the U.S. military charged with security in the area have been working to create
a renovation plan. Since mid-2008, local officials have drafted plans to
rebuild the historic site, but support from the Iraq Ministry of History and
Ruins has not materialized.
Sources :
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iraq
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dur-Kurigalzu
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