Ur
A major Sumerian city whose excavated sacred precinct includes a monumental ziggurat, royal cemetery, temples, houses, and administrative buildings.
Photo: M.Lubinski from Iraq,USA. · CC BY-SA 2.0
- Country
- Iraq
- Region
- Dhi Qar Governorate
- Civilisation
- Sumerian
- Period
- 4th millennium BCE–4th century BCE
- UNESCO
- World Heritage ↗
Through time
The story
Ur was a major Sumerian city-state in ancient Mesopotamia, located at the site of modern Tell el-Muqayyar (Arabic: تَلّ ٱلْمُقَيَّر, lit. 'mound of bitumen') in Dhi Qar Governorate, Iraq. Although Ur was a coastal city near the mouth of the Euphrates on the Persian Gulf, the coastline has shifted and the site is now well inland, on the south bank of the Euphrates, 16 km (10 mi) southwest of the city of Nasiriyah. The city dates from the Ubaid period c.
3800 BC, and is recorded in written history as a city-state from the 26th century BC, its first recorded king being Mesannepada.
The city's patron deity was the moon god Nanna (Sin in Akkadian), and the name of the city is derived from UNUGKI, literally "the abode (of Nanna)". The site is marked by the partially restored ruins of the Ziggurat of Ur, which contained the shrine of Nanna, excavated in the 1930s. The temple was built in the 21st century BC, during the reign of Ur-Nammu and was reconstructed in the 6th century BC by Nabonidus, the last king of Babylon.
In recent years, Ur Tourist City, a modern heritage and tourism district, has been developed adjacent to the site to accommodate tourists and pilgrims.
Adapted from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0.
What you will see
- Great Ziggurat
- Royal Cemetery
- Giparu
Before you go
- Check opening hours and ticket rules shortly before your visit — they change seasonally.
- Plan for the heat. Most ancient sites have little shade; go early or late.
- Respect the barriers. Fragile surfaces are protected for the next visitors.
Discoveries from Ur
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