Tour Guide, Shiraz, Iran
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Chaghazanbil Ziggurat is an ancient pyramid-shaped temple located in southwestern Iran, Khuzestan province, 35 kilometres southeast of Shush City. This religious building was built around 1250 BC during the reign of Ontash Gal, one of the Elamite kings, to praise one of the ancient gods, the guardian of the city of Susa, "Inshushinak". This unique building was in the form of a square of 20 x 20 meters with five floors of 52 meters in the form of a pyramid, of which only 2 and a half floors with a height of 25 meters has remained. The name of this building is due to its appearance, which is built in the form of a hill, like an upside-down basket. Chaghazanbil Ziggurat is the first recorded work from Iran registered in the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1979.
This ancient shrine was attacked by the Assyrian government during the reign of Ashurbanipal in 640 BC, and a large part of it was destroyed. Also, Chaghazanbil has been eroded due to being located in a geographical area with heavy rains.
Chogha Zanbil is filled with clay, and the exterior part is made with bricks. In the excavations that took place in this area, very valuable works were found, such as statues, brick writings and inscriptions in Elamite language, which mentioned the reasons for the construction of this building, the name of the builder, the materials and decorations used in the ziggurat which have made this ancient temple better known. These writings have confirmed the existence of the tiling and glazing industry in the decoration of this ziggurat, which is known as one of the oldest tilings in the world. Some archaeological studies show that due to the existence of gutters and regular water channels, one of the first structures of water treatment plants in the world was located in Chaghazanbil Ziggurat.
At the northeastern entrance gate, there was a winged bull with a height of 106 cm and a body of 108 cm made of glazed baked clay as a gate guard, which is now kept in the historical section of the National Museum of Iran. An inscription in Elamite script is written on the bull's back with the following message:
"I, Untash-Gal, son of Humban-Numena, king of Anshan and Shush, made this bull of glazed baked clay, such as the kings of old have not made. I have made it and placed it in this sacred place for the god Inshushinak, who came to this place and gave me spiritual authority. I donated it to get a long life and health. That is why I made this and donated it to God Inshushinak. May Inshushinak accept it from me as an offering."