NIPPUR


Meaning of NIPPUR in English

Ancient Mesopotamian city southeast of Babylon .

Located in what is now southeastern Iraq, it was originally on the Euphrates River , whose course later changed. By 2500 BC it was the centre of worship of the Sumerian storm god Enlil (see Sumer ). Parthian construction (see Parthia ) later buried Enlil's sanctuary, and the city fell into decay in the 3rd century AD. It was abandoned in the 12th or 13th century. Excavations have revealed temples, a ziggurat , and thousands of clay tablets that are a primary source of information on ancient Sumerian civilization. Also uncovered were an Akkadian tomb (see Akkad ) and a large temple devoted to the Mesopotamian goddess of healing.

Female figure, made of gypsum, with a gold mask that stood at a temple altar in Nippur, c. ...

By courtesy of the Iraq Museum, Baghdad; photograph, David Lees

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