Uruk

Uruk or Erech , ancient Sumerian city of Mesopotamia , on the Euphrates and NW of Ur (in present-day S Iraq). It is the modern Tall al Warka. Uruk, dating from the 5th millennium BC, was the largest city in S Mesopotamia and an important religious center. The sanctuaries of the goddess Inanna (who corresponds to the Babylonian Ishtar and is also called Nana or Eanna) and Anu, the sky god, date from the early 4th millennium BC The temple of Anu, known as the white temple, stood on a terrace and seems to have been a primitive form of ziggurat. Uruk was the home of Gilgamesh and is mentioned in the Bible (Gen. 10.10). There have been excavations at the site since 1912.

Uruk an ancient city in southern Mesopotamia, to the north-west of Ur. One of the greatest cities of Sumer, it was built in the 5th millennium bc and is associated with the legendary hero Gilgamesh. Excavations begun in 1928 revealed great ziggurats and temples dedicated to the sky god Anu.

Uruk One of the leading cities of the SUMERIANS. A community occupied the site as early as 5000 BC and in the 3rd millennium BC the city was surrounded by a 9.5-km (6-mile) wall. Excavation has revealed ziggurats dedicated to the two main gods, Anu and Inanna. It continued to be inhabited into Parthian times.