Chogha Zanbil is the largest ziggurat outside Mesopotamia proper and the best-preserved stepped pyramidal monument in the ancient world. Built around 1250 BCE by the Elamite king Untash-Napirisha, the original name Dur-Untash ('City of Untash') encompasses a 96-hectare sacred precinct with three concentric walls and 13 temple buildings. Five underground vaulted tombs lie beneath the courtyards. The city was never completed — Ashurbanipal's destruction left thousands of unused bricks at the site. At 266.81° Giza bearing, it extends the Mesopotamian corridor eastward into the Iranian plateau. UNESCO inscribed it in 1979 as the first Iranian site on the World Heritage List.
Stellar Alignments (89 stars)
| Star ▴ | Rise Az ▴ | Rise Δ ▴ | Set Az ▴ | Set Δ ▴ | Tradition ▴ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pleiades (Alcyone) | 86.7° | — | 273.3° | — | |
| Orion's Belt (Alnilam) | 107.2° | — | 252.8° | — | |
| Sirius | 114.7° | — | 245.3° | — | |
| Thuban | — | — | — | — | |
| Vega | 36.9° | — | 323.1° | — | |
| Regulus | 61.4° | — | 298.6° | — | |
| Aldebaran | 92.3° | — | 267.7° | — | |
| Antares | 98.3° | — | 261.7° | — | |
| Fomalhaut | 145.3° | — | 214.7° | — | |
| Arcturus | 33.0° | — | 327.0° | — | |
| Galactic Center (Sgr A*) | 107.3° | — | 252.7° | — | |
| Galactic Anti-Center | 72.7° | — | 287.3° | — | |
| Deneb | 45.5° | — | 314.5° | — | |
| Capella | 55.1° | — | 304.9° | — | |
| Castor | 57.6° | — | 302.4° | — | |
| Pollux | 60.4° | — | 299.6° | — | |
| Procyon | 84.6° | — | 275.4° | — | |
| Betelgeuse | 95.7° | — | 264.3° | — | |
| Rigel | 117.4° | — | 242.6° | — | |
| Bellatrix | 99.8° | — | 260.2° | — | |
| Achernar | — | — | — | — | |
| Acrux | 139.7° | — | 220.3° | — | |
| Mimosa | 134.5° | — | 225.5° | — | |
| Altair | 80.0° | — | 280.1° | — | |
| Kochab | — | — | — | — | |
| Dubhe | — | — | — | — | |
| Alkaid | — | — | — | — | |
| Mizar | — | — | — | — | |
| Hamal | 90.2° | — | 269.8° | — | |
| Zubenelgenubi | 81.5° | — | 278.5° | — | |
| Alnitak | 107.6° | — | 252.4° | — | |
| Mintaka | 106.6° | — | 253.4° | — | |
| Saiph | 115.5° | — | 244.5° | — | |
| Peacock | 159.1° | — | 200.9° | — | |
| Miaplacidus | 163.2° | — | 196.8° | — | |
| Rigil Kentaurus | 137.2° | — | 222.8° | — | |
| Hadar | 134.6° | — | 225.4° | — | |
| Gacrux | 131.3° | — | 228.7° | — | |
| Naos | 133.0° | — | 227.0° | — | |
| Suhail | 129.5° | — | 230.5° | — | |
| Avior | 154.5° | — | 205.5° | — | |
| Atria | 151.9° | — | 208.1° | — | |
| Regor | 140.8° | — | 219.2° | — | |
| Alsephina | 145.3° | — | 214.7° | — | |
| Shaula | 115.4° | — | 244.6° | — | |
| Ankaa | — | — | — | — | |
| Menkent | 104.1° | — | 255.9° | — | |
| Alpheratz | 80.9° | — | 279.1° | — | |
| Eltanin | 7.1° | — | 352.9° | — | |
| Kornephoros | 42.2° | — | 317.8° | — | |
| Rasalhague | 59.4° | — | 300.6° | — | |
| Denebola | 48.1° | — | 311.9° | — | |
| Alhena | 81.2° | — | 278.8° | — | |
| Alphard | 88.9° | — | 271.1° | — | |
| Bharani | 93.4° | — | 266.6° | — | |
| Pushya | 64.2° | — | 295.8° | — | |
| Adhara | 128.8° | — | 231.2° | — | |
| Wezen | 124.6° | — | 235.4° | — | |
| Navi | 44.3° | — | 315.7° | — | |
| Schedar | 49.3° | — | 310.7° | — | |
| Nunki | 111.3° | — | 248.7° | — | |
| Canopus | 166.4° | — | 193.6° | — | |
| Kaus Australis | 116.9° | — | 243.1° | — | |
| Sabik | 89.5° | — | 270.5° | — | |
| Scheat | 78.5° | — | 281.5° | — | |
| Enif | 91.6° | — | 268.4° | — | |
| Diphda | 139.8° | — | 220.3° | — | |
| Alphecca | 29.1° | — | 330.9° | — | |
| Rasalgethi | 55.5° | — | 304.5° | — | |
| Spica | 75.2° | — | 284.8° | — | |
| Zubeneschamali | 74.6° | — | 285.4° | — | |
| Unukalhai | 57.2° | — | 302.8° | — | |
| Murzim | 120.8° | — | 239.2° | — | |
| Phact | 145.7° | — | 214.3° | — | |
| Mirfak | 57.3° | — | 302.7° | — | |
| Vindemiatrix | 48.7° | — | 311.3° | — | |
| Markab | 93.0° | — | 267.0° | — | |
| Algol | 68.6° | — | 291.4° | — | |
| Sadalmelik | 105.1° | — | 254.9° | — | |
| Sadalsuud | 107.2° | — | 252.8° | — | |
| Sun (Summer Solstice) | 62.0° | — | 298.0° | — | |
| Sun (Winter Solstice) | 118.0° | — | 242.0° | — | |
| Sun (Equinox) | 90.0° | — | 270.0° | — | |
| Sun (Northern Cross-Quarter) | 70.4° | — | 289.6° | — | |
| Sun (Southern Cross-Quarter) | 109.6° | — | 250.4° | — | |
| Moon (N Major Standstill) | 55.5° | — | 304.5° | — | |
| Moon (S Major Standstill) | 124.5° | — | 235.5° | — | |
| Moon (N Minor Standstill) | 67.8° | — | 292.2° | — | |
| Moon (S Minor Standstill) | 112.2° | — | 247.8° | — |
Convergence Events (4)
267.7°
Alnitak Set
Egyptian (Sah), Maya, Arabic, Aboriginal
Δ 0.9°
268.6°
Orion Belt (Alnilam) Set
Egyptian (Sah/Osiris), Maya (Hearth), Pawnee
Δ 1.8°
269.6°
Sadalmelik Set
Arabic (luck of king), Persian, Babylonian (EA), Hindu
Δ 2.8°
269.6°
Mintaka Set
Egyptian, Maya, Arabic, Sumerian (near equator — visible everywhere)
Δ 2.8°
Reference Bearings (20 landmarks)
| Landmark | Bearing | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| giza | 266.81° | 1,671 km |
| angkor wat | 96.87° | 5,972 km |
| nazca | 274.78° | 14,010 km |
| teotihuacan | 324.28° | 13,297 km |
| stonehenge | 312.91° | 4,583 km |
| gobekli tepe | 306.09° | 1,052 km |
| machu picchu | 275.02° | 13,693 km |
| easter island | 278.58° | 17,811 km |
| cahokia | 328.41° | 11,067 km |
| sedona | 342.80° | 12,299 km |
| mecca | 218.32° | 1,459 km |
| jerusalem | 272.31° | 1,256 km |
| vatican | 299.45° | 3,360 km |
| lhasa | 82.20° | 4,049 km |
| kailash | 83.13° | 3,097 km |
| uluru | 115.39° | 10,819 km |
| tiwanaku | 269.37° | 13,510 km |
| chaco canyon | 340.12° | 12,060 km |
| mt shasta | 352.84° | 11,808 km |
| levis stadium | 351.97° | 12,234 km |
Related Sites — Giza / Orion Extraction