The <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/youngrobv/2511622026/">ziggurat of Chogha Zanbil</a> is the best preserved ziggurat in the world, and it was fittingly the first (of many) Iranian site to be inscribed in the UNESCO World Heritage List. Dating back to 1250BC, it is not the oldest, that title goes to the <i>Konar Sandal</i> ziggurat in Jiroft, which has foundations going back to 2200BC, predating even the ziggurat in Ur. The <i>Elamites</i> who constructed this ziggurat were very close to the Babylonians, raising the importance of realising that whilst being located in modern day Iran, this ziggurat stands in <i>Mesopotamia</i>, which is largely modern day Iraq, a few kilometers west from here...
Chogha Zanbil in the historical <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/youngrobv/sets/72157606084253790/">Susa area</a> was the driving force for organising a second trip to Iran for us. The ability to see several <i>original</i>layers of the ziggurat all intact is the only way to appreciate this type of structure. This is the only place to see it.
From this vantage point the two concentric walls surrounding the Ziggurat are also clearly visible, one in the foreground, and the second int the background, just in front of the Ziggurat.
* <i>This photo appears at <a href="http://www.iranataglance.com/historical-buildings/ziggurat_chogha_zanbil.php" rel="nofollow">Iran at a glance</a></i>
