The Great Ziggurat of Ur, built by King Ur-Nammu around 2100 BCE, remains one of the best-preserved stepped monuments in Mesopotamia. Its mud-brick core bears bricks stamped with the royal name — an early form of architectural branding. King Nabonidus of Babylon restored the ziggurat in the 6th century BCE, adding the upper stages. The structure sits at 269.48° Giza bearing — nearly due west of the Great Pyramid across 1,437 km of desert, creating a precise east-west axis between two of antiquity's greatest monuments. The nearby city of Ur is identified in biblical tradition as the birthplace of Abraham. Leonard Woolley's 1920s excavations revealed the spectacular Royal Tombs nearby.
Stellar Alignments (89 stars)
| Star ▴ | Rise Az ▴ | Rise Δ ▴ | Set Az ▴ | Set Δ ▴ | Tradition ▴ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pleiades (Alcyone) | 86.8° | — | 273.2° | — | |
| Orion's Belt (Alnilam) | 107.0° | — | 253.0° | — | |
| Sirius | 114.4° | — | 245.6° | — | |
| Thuban | — | — | — | — | |
| Vega | 37.8° | — | 322.2° | — | |
| Regulus | 61.7° | — | 298.3° | — | |
| Aldebaran | 92.2° | — | 267.8° | — | |
| Antares | 98.2° | — | 261.8° | — | |
| Fomalhaut | 144.4° | — | 215.6° | — | |
| Arcturus | 34.0° | — | 326.0° | — | |
| Galactic Center (Sgr A*) | 107.2° | — | 252.8° | — | |
| Galactic Anti-Center | 72.9° | — | 287.1° | — | |
| Deneb | 46.1° | — | 313.9° | — | |
| Capella | 55.5° | — | 304.4° | — | |
| Castor | 58.0° | — | 302.0° | — | |
| Pollux | 60.8° | — | 299.2° | — | |
| Procyon | 84.6° | — | 275.4° | — | |
| Betelgeuse | 95.7° | — | 264.3° | — | |
| Rigel | 117.0° | — | 242.9° | — | |
| Bellatrix | 99.7° | — | 260.3° | — | |
| Achernar | — | — | — | — | |
| Acrux | 138.9° | — | 221.1° | — | |
| Mimosa | 133.9° | — | 226.1° | — | |
| Altair | 80.1° | — | 279.9° | — | |
| Kochab | — | — | — | — | |
| Dubhe | — | — | — | — | |
| Alkaid | — | — | — | — | |
| Mizar | — | — | — | — | |
| Hamal | 90.2° | — | 269.8° | — | |
| Zubenelgenubi | 81.6° | — | 278.4° | — | |
| Alnitak | 107.4° | — | 252.6° | — | |
| Mintaka | 106.4° | — | 253.6° | — | |
| Saiph | 115.2° | — | 244.8° | — | |
| Peacock | 157.5° | — | 202.5° | — | |
| Miaplacidus | 161.2° | — | 198.8° | — | |
| Rigil Kentaurus | 136.5° | — | 223.5° | — | |
| Hadar | 134.0° | — | 226.0° | — | |
| Gacrux | 130.7° | — | 229.3° | — | |
| Naos | 132.4° | — | 227.6° | — | |
| Suhail | 128.9° | — | 231.1° | — | |
| Avior | 153.2° | — | 206.8° | — | |
| Atria | 150.7° | — | 209.3° | — | |
| Regor | 140.0° | — | 220.0° | — | |
| Alsephina | 144.4° | — | 215.6° | — | |
| Shaula | 115.1° | — | 244.9° | — | |
| Ankaa | — | — | — | — | |
| Menkent | 104.0° | — | 256.0° | — | |
| Alpheratz | 81.0° | — | 279.0° | — | |
| Eltanin | 11.1° | — | 348.9° | — | |
| Kornephoros | 42.9° | — | 317.1° | — | |
| Rasalhague | 59.8° | — | 300.2° | — | |
| Denebola | 48.7° | — | 311.3° | — | |
| Alhena | 81.3° | — | 278.7° | — | |
| Alphard | 88.9° | — | 271.1° | — | |
| Bharani | 93.4° | — | 266.6° | — | |
| Pushya | 64.5° | — | 295.5° | — | |
| Adhara | 128.3° | — | 231.7° | — | |
| Wezen | 124.2° | — | 235.8° | — | |
| Navi | 44.9° | — | 315.1° | — | |
| Schedar | 49.8° | — | 310.2° | — | |
| Nunki | 111.1° | — | 248.9° | — | |
| Canopus | 164.0° | — | 196.0° | — | |
| Kaus Australis | 116.6° | — | 243.4° | — | |
| Sabik | 89.5° | — | 270.5° | — | |
| Scheat | 78.6° | — | 281.4° | — | |
| Enif | 91.5° | — | 268.4° | — | |
| Diphda | 139.0° | — | 221.0° | — | |
| Alphecca | 30.2° | — | 329.8° | — | |
| Rasalgethi | 55.9° | — | 304.1° | — | |
| Spica | 75.4° | — | 284.6° | — | |
| Zubeneschamali | 74.8° | — | 285.2° | — | |
| Unukalhai | 57.6° | — | 302.4° | — | |
| Murzim | 120.5° | — | 239.5° | — | |
| Phact | 144.7° | — | 215.3° | — | |
| Mirfak | 57.7° | — | 302.3° | — | |
| Vindemiatrix | 49.3° | — | 310.7° | — | |
| Markab | 93.0° | — | 267.1° | — | |
| Algol | 68.8° | — | 291.2° | — | |
| Sadalmelik | 104.9° | — | 255.1° | — | |
| Sadalsuud | 107.0° | — | 253.0° | — | |
| Sun (Summer Solstice) | 62.4° | — | 297.6° | — | |
| Sun (Winter Solstice) | 117.6° | — | 242.4° | — | |
| Sun (Equinox) | 90.0° | — | 270.0° | — | |
| Sun (Northern Cross-Quarter) | 70.7° | — | 289.3° | — | |
| Sun (Southern Cross-Quarter) | 109.3° | — | 250.7° | — | |
| Moon (N Major Standstill) | 55.9° | — | 304.1° | — | |
| Moon (S Major Standstill) | 124.1° | — | 235.9° | — | |
| Moon (N Minor Standstill) | 68.0° | — | 292.0° | — | |
| Moon (S Minor Standstill) | 112.0° | — | 248.0° | — |
Convergence Events (5)
269.6°
Sadalmelik Set
Arabic (luck of king), Persian, Babylonian (EA), Hindu
Δ 0.1°
269.6°
Mintaka Set
Egyptian, Maya, Arabic, Sumerian (near equator — visible everywhere)
Δ 0.2°
270.0°
Equinox Sunset
Universal
Δ 0.5°
268.6°
Orion Belt (Alnilam) Set
Egyptian (Sah/Osiris), Maya (Hearth), Pawnee
Δ 0.9°
267.7°
Alnitak Set
Egyptian (Sah), Maya, Arabic, Aboriginal
Δ 1.7°
Reference Bearings (20 landmarks)
| Landmark | Bearing | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| giza | 269.48° | 1,438 km |
| angkor wat | 94.73° | 6,188 km |
| nazca | 272.69° | 13,789 km |
| teotihuacan | 321.73° | 13,252 km |
| stonehenge | 314.16° | 4,497 km |
| gobekli tepe | 318.44° | 959 km |
| machu picchu | 273.01° | 13,473 km |
| easter island | 273.98° | 17,596 km |
| cahokia | 326.77° | 11,042 km |
| sedona | 340.67° | 12,337 km |
| mecca | 212.00° | 1,231 km |
| jerusalem | 277.78° | 1,037 km |
| vatican | 301.62° | 3,221 km |
| lhasa | 80.01° | 4,294 km |
| kailash | 80.52° | 3,341 km |
| uluru | 114.39° | 10,978 km |
| tiwanaku | 267.52° | 13,278 km |
| chaco canyon | 338.08° | 12,086 km |
| mt shasta | 350.93° | 11,891 km |
| levis stadium | 349.89° | 12,313 km |
Related Sites — Giza / Orion Extraction