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Ur
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The Great Ziggurat of Ur in Iraq, a massive ancient brick structure with broad staircases and terraced levels, stands alone in a barren landscape. Map showing the location of the ancient city of Ur in southern Iraq, with Iraq highlighted among neighboring countries in the Middle East, including Iran, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Syria, Jordan, and Turkey. Surrounding bodies of water such as the Persian Gulf, Red Sea, and Mediterranean Sea are also labeled. A small inset globe in the lower left corner highlights the region's position within the world. entrance to tomb chamber of Ur-nammu Northeastern facade (the ascents partly restored) of the ziggurat at Ur, southern Iraq.
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Northeastern facade (the ascents partly restored) of the ziggurat at Ur, southern Iraq.
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Temple ruins of columns and statures at Karnak, Egypt (Egyptian architecture; Egyptian archaelogy; Egyptian history)
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The Great Ziggurat of Ur in Iraq, a massive ancient brick structure with broad staircases and terraced levels, stands alone in a barren landscape.
Ziggurat at Ur Ziggurat at Ur (modern Tall al-Muqayyar, Iraq), constructed c. 2100 bce.

Ur

ancient city, Iraq
Also known as: Tall al-Mughair, Tall al-Muqayyar, Tell el-Muqayyar, Ur Kasdim, Ur of the Chaldeans(Show More)
Written by
Leonard Woolley
Archaeologist; excavated at Ur, 1922–34, and many other sites. Major contributor to knowledge of the Sumerians. Author of Digging Up the Past; Excavations at Ur and others.
Leonard Woolley
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Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
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History

Ur, important city of ancient southern Mesopotamia (Sumer), situated about 140 miles (225 km) southeast of the site of Babylon and about 10 miles (16 km) west of the present bed of the Euphrates River. In antiquity the river ran much closer to the city; the change in its course has left the ruins in a desert that once was irrigated and fertile land. The first serious excavations at Ur were made after World War...

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