Dur-Kurigalzu

Dur-Kurigalzu was a city in southern Mesopotamia, some 30 kilometers west of Baghdad, near the confluence of the Tigris and Diyala rivers. It was established in the 14th century BC by a Kassite monarch of Babylon, Kurigalzu I, and was abandoned after the Kassite dynasty fell. Dur-abandoned Kurigalzu's ruins date back 3,500 years, and this section of Iraq was once the center of southern Mesopotamia's Cradle of Civilization.

The prefix Dur- is an Akkadian phrase that means "fortress of," but the Kassite royal name Kurigalzu, which appears several times in the Kassite king list, might have a descriptive meaning as an epithet, such as "herder of the folk." Dur-Kurigalzu had a ziggurat, temples dedicated to Sumerian gods, and a regal palace. The ziggurat, which stood to a height of around 52 meters, was extraordinarily well-preserved. It would have also been used as a signpost for camel caravans en route to Baghdad.

Location: Dur-Kurigalzu, Baghdad Governorate, Iraq