Kizalaga (shrine of Nūru in Ezida at Borsippa)

Ezida

Kizalaga, the shrine of the divine torch (the god Nūru) inside Ezida, is known from Akkadian inscriptions of Ashurbanipal (r. 668–ca. 631 BC) that record his efforts to outfit Nabû's temple with lavish appurtenances and architectural features. That Assyrian king claims to have (re)cast Nūru's seat (Akkadian šubtu) with a silver alloy (Akkadian zahalû).

Names and Spellings

The Sumerian ceremonial name this part of Ezida means "Bright Place." Kizalaga is also used as a name of a shrine in Esagil at Babylon and in the bīt rēš at Uruk.

Written Forms: ki-zalag₂-ga.

Known Builders

Building History

Sometime after mid-648 BC and before 639 BC, Ashurbanipal (re)cast Kizalaga using a large amount of a silver alloy called zahalû. Inscriptions written in 639 BC and 638 BC record the following:

I cast Kizalaga, the seat of the god Nūru, with eighty-three talents of shiny zahalû-metal and, to make (it) shine (like) a brazier, I had the appurtenance(s) of Ezida, the seat of his great divinity, expertly fashioned.

Assuming each talent was approximately thirty kilograms, then Ashurbanipal's workmen would have used about 2,500 kg (5,510 lbs). The work was commissioned while Kandalānu (r. 647–627 BC) was the king of Babylon.

Archaeological Remains

Kizalaga has not yet been positively identified in the archaeological record. Its discovery is highly unlikely because it was made of metal, a precious material that would have been removed and reused elsewhere.

Further Reading

Banner image: photograph of the remains of Ezida and Eurmeiminanki taken ca. 2002 (left); woodcut from "Pleasant Hours: A Monthly Journal of Home Reading and Sunday Teaching; Volume III" published by the Church of England's National Society's Depository, London, in 1863 (center); areal photograph of the ruins of Ezida and Eurmeiminanki taken in 1928 (right). Images from Getty Images.

Jamie Novotny

Jamie Novotny, 'Kizalaga (shrine of Nūru in Ezida at Borsippa)', Babylonian Temples and Monumental Architecture online (BTMAo), The BTMAo Project, a sub-project of MOCCI, [http://oracc.org/btmao/Borsippa/TemplesandZiggurat/Ezida/RoomsandGates/Kizalaga/]

 
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