The Ziggurat at Ur sits on a vast plain in southern Iraq, near the modern city of Nasiriyah. Ziggurats are pyramidal structures built by the Sumerians, Babylonians, and Assyrians of ancient Mesopotamia.

There are 32 surviving ziggurats, and the Ziggurat at Ur is one of the best preserved. It once sat within a walled precinct. Its core was constructed with bricks made from mud and reed pressed into moulds and dried in the sun.

Seven million bricks were used for the core, which was strengthened with reed matting and sandy soil sandwiched between every six layers of brick. The core was clad with glazed bricks mortared with bitumen to create a waterproof surface, punctuated by weeper holes to allow water to evaporate from the centre. Many of these facing bricks were stamped with the name of King Ur-Nammu.