House Whose Foundation Creates Terror - History of Architecture | ARCH 3115, Study Guides, Projects, Research of History of Architecture

Download House Whose Foundation Creates Terror - History of Architecture | ARCH 3115 and more Study Guides, Projects, Research History of Architecture in PDF only on Docsity! Name: Ziggurat of Ur-Nammu or Etemennigur Meaning: Sumerian for “House whose foundation creates Terror” Location: In the city of Ur, located to the west of Al-Nasiriyah city, southern Iraq Key Dates: circa 2000 BC Function: Provided security and was part of a temple complex that included a courtyard, storage rooms, bathrooms, and living quarters, around which a city was built. The complex was the administrative center for the city, dedicated to the moon god Nanna, and considered a place where Nanna had chosen to reside. Key Dimensions: about 210 x 150 ft. at the base. 64 ft. tall Architects: Ur-Nammu, restored by Babylonian King Nabonidus Materials: Mud bricks which were then covered with baked bricks. The mud bricks were made out of mud and reed; the reed was pressed into moulds that had been left to dry in the sun. Important Features: There are three staircases that lead up the front of the Ziggurat, each consisting of 100 steps. The staircases come together between the first and second tier, under a gateway, then combine to form one stair that continues up toward the temple. The sides of the temple slope slightly inward. Structural System: : The temple is made from mud bricks. The temple was faced with fired brick and then set in bitumen. It has multiple tiers and is one of the step-pyramids. The ramps leading to each level were symbolic for the rays of sun the led the the shrine at the top. Symbolism: The Ziggurat was a place for the god Nanna so that he could reside near the heavens. The layers show the axis mundi, connecting the earth to the heavens through the layers of the temple.