Mesopotamian Architecture

Monumental Architecture

Palaces

Mesopotamian palaces are similar to modern day palaces. They are usually built for someone of importance, like a king or queen, lord or lady. They are lavishly decorated on the inside and have more than enough rooms for maids, butlers, and the royalty themselves. In Mesopotamia, instead of the word 'palace', the people called palaces 'big house'. The earliest known palaces were made in the Diyala River Valley. A palace called "Giparu" in Ur was a palace where the Moon God Nanna's Priestesses lived. Giparu was a huge complex where there were multiple large courtyards, a number of sanctuaries, and burial chambers for dead priests. Palaces are structures that serve a purpose, like housing royalty or devotion to a god or gods. (HL)

Ziggurats

Ziggurats are the tallest temples in Mesopotamia. A typical Ziggurat took the Sumerians, Akkadians, Babylonians,Assyrians 32 years to build. The Ziggurats were created to be a home for the patron god or goddess of the city. The Ziggurats were the most famous temple in Mesopotamia and the biggest. Mesopotamia now mainly in Iraq from approximately 2200 until 500 BCE. (CF)

Hanging Gardens

If the hanging gardens are in fact real then histories say that it would be beautiful.The hanging gardens of Babylon are one of the 7wonders of the ancient world. The hanging gardens of Babylon were created by king Nebuchadnezzar the second of Babylon. The king made the gardens for his wife Queen Semirami so that she would not be homesick anymore. The Hanging gardens of Babylon were created in 600 BCE. Some researchers believe that the gardens existed but they were not hanging. They were regular gardens like you would grow in your own backyard. It is most likely that they were located along the Euphrates river for its natural resources such as its water and soil. The hanging gardens also may have been in a different city, not Babylon Although the hanging gardens may not be real it would be one of the most magnificent sights. (AF)

Ishtar Gate

The Ishtar Gate was built for Ishtar, the goddess of love and war. Nebuchadnezzar, a warrior-king, wanted to beautify his city and the Ishtar Gate was the perfect solution. With the Hanging Gardens (another famous landmark in Babylon) and the Ishtar Gate, Babylon quickly became one of the most popular cities because people wanted to see these unique structures. The Ishtar Gate was a massive entryway that led into the magnificent city of Babylon. It was 38 feet (12 meters) tall and it was built in 575 BCE (before common era). Decorated with walking lions to symbolize the goddess Ishtar, dragons to symbolize the god Marduk, and bulls to symbolize the god Adad, this bright blue structure attracted many visitors.

The Ishtar Gate was very carefully planned and had a specific purpose. The Gate was located on the north side of Babylon and it was made out of finely textured clay pressed into wooden forms. The clay was dried out by the sun and glazed with a vivid blue that would be very recognizable. The Ishtar Gate was only one part of the whole design of the city of Babylon. Under it ran an avenue called Processional Way which was the road used for the most famous parade in all of Mesopotamia, The Procession Of The Gods. The Ishtar Gate is an important landmark and played a big role in Mesopotamian history. (JN)

Royal Tombs of Ur

Royal Tombs Mesopotamia, ‘the land between the two rivers’, as it was then known – lasted from 1922 to 1934. working on a cemetery site containing some 2,500 burials, the excavators uncovered a deep shaft, at the foot of which lay a gold dagger with a hilt of lapis lazuli, and a gold sheath, along with a hoard of copper weapons and a set of little toilet instruments.

Nothing of this quality and date had ever been found before in Mesopotamian archaeology. Most had been robbed, but even these often still contained good treasures, like the ‘Standard of Ur’; made up of mosaic panels of lapis lazuli and mother-of-pearl, it had once formed the sides of the sound- box of a lyreOne rich tomb, that of Queen Puabi (known from a seal buried with her), was found intact.

The evidence of this and some of the other tombs revealed an elaborate funerary ritual involving human sacrifice on a mass scale. Woolley talked of ‘the death-pits of Ur’. The burial of the kings,’ explained Woolley, ‘was accompanied by human sacrifice on a lavish scale, the bottom of the grave-pit being crowded with the bodies of men and women who seemed to have been brought down here and butchered where they stood. In one grave, the soldiers of the guard, wearing copper helmets and carrying spears, lie at the foot of the steep ramp that led down into the grave; against the end of the tomb chamber are nine ladies of the court with elaborate golden head-dresses; in front of the entrance are drawn up two heavy four-wheeled carts with three bullocks harnessed to each other, and the driver’s bones lie in the carts, and grooms are by the heads of the animals. (JW)

Homes

City Homes (Mud Bricks)

City homes were made of mud bricks. The walls of bricks were made multiple feet thick to prevent heat from getting in. For example, in Babylon, the rows upon rows of houses were constructed of mud bricks, made from clay. The clay is one of the natural resources provided by the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. Mud bricks are made by putting clay into a brick mold and letting it dry in the sun or heating it in an oven. City homes had flat roofs and consisted of multiple rooms surrounding a courtyard. Courtyards were covered with palm leaves placed over wooden beams. The loose layering of palm leaves both protected Mesopotamians from the sun, and allowed cooking smoke to escape. (HL)

Country Homes (Straw)

Country homes were built by farmers. Though less glorious than city homes, the country houses sheltered farmers after a long day of work. These homes were made of river reeds gathered from rivers that farmers live by. People still make reed houses today. These modern reed houses are called mudhifs. People make mudhifs in Iraq, the land where Mesopotamia used to be. The people who make these houses are usually of Arabian descent. (HL)

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