10 miles to the west of the city of Baghdad, today stands the ruins of Aqar quf (Dur Kurigalzu), the capital of Iraq during the Kassite era (1595-2171 BC). The Kassites had settled in the city of Babylon before the formation of their political entity and they quoted many of the origins of the Babylonian civilization and after the fall of the Babylon first dynasty, and in a short period of time, they were able to expel the Hittites and establish their state. At first they made the city of Babylon as their capital, and in the middle of their reign, they moved to a luxurious city known as Kurigalzu. Among its most prominent landmarks today is its towering ziggurat, which is one of the largest listed towers remaining today in Iraq. Its current height is about 57 m and it has a square base (67 x 69 m). However, it is believed that the original height was about 70 meters, and it rises to it by three stairs. In addition to this listed edifice, a group of temples was discovered near the ziggurat, while the remains of the city’s palaces were discovered at a distance of about one kilometer to the southwest of the ziggurat.
Settlement continued in the city after its founding during the Neo-Babylonian era, and even through some Islamic eras.
