Etemenanki

ziggurat, Babylon, Mesopotamia

Written by

The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last updated

June 26, 2026

Quick Summary

Etemenanki was a massive ziggurat, a stepped pyramid temple tower, located in the ancient Mesopotamian city of Babylon. Ziggurats were characteristic of major Mesopotamian cities between approximately 2200 and 500 BCE and were constructed from mud brick with baked brick exteriors. Etemenanki, dedicated to the god Marduk, is famously associated with the biblical Tower of Babel story, which explains the diversity of human languages. While no ziggurat is preserved to its original height, Etemenanki was one of the largest, with its base measuring about 300 feet on each side and a height of 300 feet. It featured five terraced gradations topped by a temple.1234

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

5 Britannica Sources

Ask Britannica AI about this topic

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.

Marduk
…were the Esagila and the Etemenanki, a ziggurat with a shrine of Marduk on the top. In the Esagila the poem Enuma elish was recited every year at the New Year festival. The goddess named most often as the consort of Marduk was Zarpanitu.
Read More
…were the Esagila and the Etemenanki, a ziggurat with a shrine of Marduk on the top. In the Esagila the poem Enuma elish was recited every year at the New Year festival. The goddess named most often as the consort of Marduk was Zarpanitu.
Read More