![]() ![]() The seven levels of the ziggurat are said to have represented the number of heavens, planes of existence, planets and the seven metals and the colors associated with them. The number of tiers ranged from two to seven, with a shrine or temple at the summit. They were not used as places for performing public religious rites and rituals, but rather as the earthly house of god.īuilt in receding tiers upon rectangular, oval, or square platforms, ziggurats were pyramidal structures with sun-baked brick cores and multicolored glazed-brick exteriors. Mesopotamians considered mud to be the purest of substances therefore, it was employed in the construction of these stepped structures which ascended toward heaven, bringing man closer to the gods and facilitating his worship.Ĭonsidered the temporal dwelling of a deity or the meeting place of gods and humans, ziggurats had a high temple, a low temple and no internal chambers. While their actual function still remains obscure, it has been suggested that ziggurats symbolized the primeval mound which the universe was thought to have been created upon, heavenly mountains, bridges between heaven and earth or celestial stairways between the gods and humans. They were thought to be a vertical bond between heaven and earth, the earth and the underworld, and a horizontal bond between the lands. ![]() Sumerian temples were believed to have had astrological significance. The actual remains of the Neo-Babylonian structure can be seen at the top. Partially reconstructed facade and the access staircase of the ziggurat. ![]()
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