چغازنبيل (Persian) Dur Untash (Elamite) | |
.JPG) | |
  Shown within Iran  Chogha Zanbil (West and Central Asia) | |
| Location | Khuzestan Province, Iran |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 32°0′30″N 48°31′15″E / 32.00833°N 48.52083°E |
| Type | Settlement |
| History | |
| Builder | Untash-Napirisha |
| Founded | c. 1250 BC |
| Abandoned | c. 645 BC |
| Cultures | Elamite |
| Site notes | |
| Excavation dates | 1935-39, 1946, 1951–1961, 1999, 2002, 2004-2005 |
| Archaeologists | Roland de Mecquenem, Roman Ghirshman, Behzad Mofidi Nasrabadi |
| Condition | In ruins |
| Official name | Tchogha Zanbil |
| Criteria | Cultural: (iii), (iv) |
| Reference | 113 |
| Inscription | 1979 (3rd Session) |
Chogha Zanbil (also Tchoga Zanbil and Čoġā Zanbīl) (Persian: چغازنبيل; Elamite: Al Untas Napirisa then later Dur Untash) is an ancient Elamite complex in the Khuzestan province of Iran. It is one of the few existing ziggurats outside Mesopotamia. It lies approximately 30 km (19 mi) southeast of Susa and 80 km (50 mi) north of Ahvaz. The construction date of the city is unclear due to uncertainty in the chronology of the reign of Untash-Napirisha but is clearly sometime in the 14th or 13th century BC. The conventionally assumed date is 1250 BC. The city is currently believed to have been destroyed by the Neo-Assyrian ruler Assurbanipal in about 645 BC, along with the Elamite capital of Susa though some researchers place the end of occupation in the late 12th century BC.[1] The ziggurat is considered to be the best preserved example of the stepped pyramidal monument by UNESCO.[2] In 1979, Chogha Zanbil became the first Iranian site to be inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Ghirshman1961was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Tchogha Zanbil". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Retrieved July 15, 2017.
It is the largest ziggurat outside of Mesopotamia and the best preserved of this type of stepped pyramidal monument.