Ziggurat
A ziggurat is a massive pyramid-like structure that was commonly found in ancient Mesopotamia and western Iran. They had the form of terraced steps of successively receding storeys or levels, usually ranging from two to seven high. They were constructed from mud-bricks with a square or rectangular base and sloping walls.
The ancient Sumerians, Babylonians, Elamites, Assyrians, and others built ziggurats for religious purposes, and often included the ziggurat as part of a larger temple complex of other buildings. The oldest known ziggurat is the Sialk ziggurat in Kashan, Iran, which dates back to the early-3rd millennium BCE.
The earliest ziggurats were built as oval, rectangular or square platforms, with stacked squares of diminishing size, and a flat top. What distinguished them from a step pyramid was that stairs would allow people to climb from level to level.
The core of the ziggurat would be made up of sun-baked bricks, while the exterior would have been faced with fired bricks. These were often glazed in different colours according to what is believed to have been astrological significance, and were sometimes engraved with the names of kings.
Herodotus wrote that at the top of each ziggurat was a shrine which could have been where rituals were carried out. Although, on a practical level, the height of the ziggurat would allow the priests to escape floodwaters that regularly inundated the lowlands.
One of the best-preserved ziggurats is Chogha Zanbil in western Iran. Other notable examples include:
- Great Ziggurat of Ur, Iraq.
- Ziggurat of Aqar Quf, near Baghdad, Iraq.
- Sailk, near Kashan, Iran.
- Etemenanki, Babylon (now destroyed).
In post-modern architecture, ziggurats have influenced buildings such as the SIS Building in London, and Norfolk and Suffolk Terrace at the University of East Anglia.
[edit] Find out more
[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings Wiki
- Angkor Wat.
- Archaeologist.
- Brick.
- Conservation of the historic environment.
- Earth building.
- Earthen construction.
- El Castillo.
- Megastructure.
- Norfolk Terrace and Suffolk Terrace - 'the Ziggurats'.
- Practical Building Conservation: Earth, Brick and Terracotta.
- SIS Building.
- Types of building.
IHBC NewsBlog
Your FIRST FREE IHBC Xmas gift to colleagues
Tell them about IHBC’s Conservation Wiki – Our free digital digest for the development and construction sector.
CPD check-up and prize: ‘Who said that?’ – And what would you say back? FREE BS7913 for the best responses…
IHBC Chair at 2018 Heritage Day: A personal take and update
IHBC’s Chair James Caird attended the 2018 Heritage Day, led by England’s heritage link body, The Heritage Alliance (THA), and offers readers an update on his day.
IHBC raises objections in high-level Historic Environment Advisor Apprenticeship
IHBC has lodged its concerns and objections to current proposals submitted by Historic England's 'Trailblazer' Group to the Institute for Apprenticeships (IfA) for approval.
Latest IHBC Council+ corners the tables to see how best to deliver member services
IHBC has concluded the 7th Council+ meeting, the institute’s UK-wide forum for volunteers’ national oversight and development, which took place in London.
DesigningBuildings Wiki features IHBC Context celebrating 50 years of the TCPA
Tucked away in Part V of the Town and Country Planning Ace was a revolution in heritage conservation that Timothy Cantell has explored in IHBC’s Context.
UK Green Building Council has reported on the launch of Hawkins/Brown’s new tool to quickly visualise the embodied carbon of buildings at any point in the building lifecycle.
AHF - new partnership Heritage Impact Fund to be launched in early 2019
The Architectural Heritage Fund has announced the fund as part of its ongoing work to increase the levels of social investment supporting the heritage sector.
BRE and USGBC announce new partnership
Two built environment organisations have announced the first building quality and performance partnership of its kind partnering to raise global sustainability standards.
Civic Voice: Guidance tool for communities to identify local heritage assets
A resource developed as part of Civic Voice’s Big Conservation Conversation and their ‘Local Heritage List’ campaign.
Landmark - online archive of History Albums now accessible
Landmark’s History Albums is now available online making the detailed research undertaken on each Landmark digitally available to all.
Joint Committee on draft Parliamentary Buildings (Restoration and Renewal) Bill
Call for evidence, closing 18 January, inviting views on whether the governance structures for the Restoration and Renewal (R&R) Programme are appropriate.
Updates on programme on planning reform in England
The latest version of the Planning Directorate Newsletter brings readers up to date with the England’s programme of planning reform.
Specialist contractors call for government regulation of the construction industry
The chairman of the Specialist Engineering Contractors’ (SEC) Group wants to government to set up a statutory authority to regulate construction industry practice.
Wellcome’s Living with Buildings exhibition on until to 3 March in London examines the positive and negative influence buildings have on our physical and mental health.
The economic value of culture - a benefit transfer study on museums in England
New research has been published to help understand the visitor and non-visitor value of cultural engagement at 4 cultural institutions in England – is this transferrable?
England - Open Doors pilot scheme closing 31 Dec
Government in England’s pilot scheme to match landlords struggling to find tenants for their empty properties with community groups looking for space.
RTPI to investigate strategic infrastructure planning
New research commissioned from University of the West of England in partnership with PBA (part of Stantec), on how strategic infrastructure planning is carried out.
Scottish Lochside House named House of the Year 2018
Lochside House, a breathtaking new home in the West Highlands designed by HaysomWardMiller Architects has been named the 2018 RIBA House of the Year.