What is Nippur?
[[File:Hammurabi's Babylonia 1.svg|250px|right|thumb|[[Babylonia]] in the time of [[Hammurabi]]]] '''Nippur''', or ''Enlil'' ('lord wind'), is modern ''Nuffar'' in [[Iraq]]. Nippur was one of the most ancient of all the [[Sumer]]ian cities. It was the special seat of the worship of the Sumerian god, ''[[Enlil]]'', ruler of the [[wikt:cosmos|cosmos]] (universe), and subject to ''An'' alone. Nippur was always part of a larger empire. Its control was crucial, as it gave overall 'kingship' to monarchs from other [[city-state]]s. It was a [[sacred]] city, important because it had the famous shrine of ''Enlil''. Late in the 3rd millennium BC, Nippur was conquered and occupied by the [[Semitic people|Semitic]] rulers of [[Akkad]], and their rulers, like [[Sargon of Akkad|Sargon]], left gifts at this sanctuary. Another ruler, Naram-Suen, rebuilt the temple and the city walls; in the debris of this ancient site his remains were found. This Akkadian occupation was succeeded by an occupation during the third dynasty of [[Ur]], and the constructions of Ur-Nammu, the great builder of temples, are on top of those of Naram. == Kassite and later history == Under the succeeding [[Kassite]] dynasty, shortly after the middle of the 2nd millennium, Nippur was restored once more to its former splendour. After the middle of the 12th century BC follows a long period of neglect, but after with the conquest of Babylonia by the Assyrian [[Sargon II]], at the close of the 8th century BC, the city revives. Under [[Ashurbanipal]], about the middle of the 7th century BC, we find Ekur restored with a splendour greater than ever before, the [[ziggurat]] of that period being 58 by 39&nbsp;m. After that Nippur appears to have gradually fallen into decay, until finally, in the [[Seleucid Empire|Seleucid]] period, the ancient temple was turned into a [[fortress]]. Huge walls were built at the edges of the ancient terrace, and the courts of the temple were filled with houses and streets. This fortress was occupied and further built upon until