Biblical city
Ur
Tell el-Muqayyar, Iraq · Southern Mesopotamia
A major Sumerian city on the lower Euphrates, Ur is named as Abraham's point of departure (Genesis 11:31). Excavations uncovered its great ziggurat and the royal cemetery with its rich third-millennium burials.
History in Scripture
Abraham's family came from Ur of the Chaldeans before settling in Haran (Genesis 11:31). Ur was a Sumerian city with a long royal history and an enormous ziggurat dedicated to the moon god Nanna.
The ancient city
Once near the Euphrates and the head of the Persian Gulf, Ur was a wealthy trading and temple city; Woolley's excavations uncovered royal tombs with remarkable goldwork.
The site today
The ziggurat near Nasiriyah in Iraq still stands to an impressive height and has been partly restored; the site has received occasional pilgrim and papal attention.
Key passages
Sources & notes
Description summarizes standard historical and archaeological reference works. Imagery is added separately and is labeled by type.