Chogha Zanbil
Chogha Zanbil, located in Khuzestan province in modern-day Iran, was an Elamite temple complex, including a large ziggurat. Built in the 13th century B.C., it was dedicated to the god Inshushinak along with other Elamite deities. Although the site of five royal burials, it fell out of use sometime around 1000 BC. Rediscovered during an aerial survey, the site was excavated by Roman Ghirshman between 1951-1962.
Measuring 105.2 meters on each side and circa 53 meters high, the ziggurat was slightly taller than the Arc de Triomphe. Its mud-brick core had a facing of baked brick, some inscribed with the names of gods written in Elamite and Akkadian. Added to the UNESCO world heritage list in 1979, Chogha Zanbil was the first site in Iran to receive that distinction. Now partially reconstructed, the ziggurat remains an impressive feat of the engineering and architecture of early Iran.
