Mideast in Pictures: Ancient Mesopotamian city of Nippur

QADISIYAH, Iraq, Nov. 23 (Xinhua) -- Located in the Mesopotamian plain of central Iraq, the archaeological site of Nippur is one of the oldest and most significant ancient cities in the region. The site preserves a long and continuous sequence of human occupation, with multiple superimposed layers of urban settlement spanning from the Ubaid period around 5000 BC to the early Islamic era around 800 AD.

Over these millennia, Nippur served as a major religious, administrative, and cultural center, especially revered as the sacred city of the Sumerian god Enlil. Excavations have revealed temples, residential quarters, administrative buildings, and large archives of cuneiform tablets that document the evolution of Mesopotamian civilization.