Widely identified as the biblical Tower of Babel, Etemenanki — 'House of the Foundation of Heaven and Earth' — was the greatest ziggurat ever constructed. The Esagila Tablet describes seven stages rising from a 91-meter square base, with estimates of the original height ranging from 54 to 66 meters. Nebuchadnezzar II rebuilt it magnificently, but Xerxes I destroyed it in 484 BCE. Alexander the Great planned its restoration but died before completing even the rubble clearance. At 260.83° Giza bearing, it sits on the Mesopotamian corridor. The ziggurat's name and seven-tiered form encode a cosmological model — each stage representing a planetary sphere in Babylonian astronomy.
Stellar Alignments (89 stars)
| Star ▴ | Rise Az ▴ | Rise Δ ▴ | Set Az ▴ | Set Δ ▴ | Tradition ▴ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pleiades (Alcyone) | 86.7° | — | 273.3° | — | |
| Orion's Belt (Alnilam) | 107.3° | — | 252.7° | — | |
| Sirius | 114.9° | — | 245.1° | — | |
| Thuban | — | — | — | — | |
| Vega | 36.5° | — | 323.5° | — | |
| Regulus | 61.2° | — | 298.8° | — | |
| Aldebaran | 92.3° | — | 267.7° | — | |
| Antares | 98.4° | — | 261.6° | — | |
| Fomalhaut | 145.8° | — | 214.2° | — | |
| Arcturus | 32.5° | — | 327.5° | — | |
| Galactic Center (Sgr A*) | 107.5° | — | 252.5° | — | |
| Galactic Anti-Center | 72.6° | — | 287.4° | — | |
| Deneb | 45.1° | — | 314.9° | — | |
| Capella | 54.9° | — | 305.1° | — | |
| Castor | 57.4° | — | 302.6° | — | |
| Pollux | 60.2° | — | 299.8° | — | |
| Procyon | 84.5° | — | 275.4° | — | |
| Betelgeuse | 95.8° | — | 264.2° | — | |
| Rigel | 117.5° | — | 242.4° | — | |
| Bellatrix | 99.9° | — | 260.1° | — | |
| Achernar | — | — | — | — | |
| Acrux | 140.1° | — | 219.9° | — | |
| Mimosa | 134.9° | — | 225.1° | — | |
| Altair | 79.9° | — | 280.1° | — | |
| Kochab | — | — | — | — | |
| Dubhe | — | — | — | — | |
| Alkaid | — | — | — | — | |
| Mizar | — | — | — | — | |
| Hamal | 90.2° | — | 269.8° | — | |
| Zubenelgenubi | 81.4° | — | 278.6° | — | |
| Alnitak | 107.7° | — | 252.3° | — | |
| Mintaka | 106.7° | — | 253.3° | — | |
| Saiph | 115.7° | — | 244.3° | — | |
| Peacock | 160.0° | — | 200.0° | — | |
| Miaplacidus | 164.4° | — | 195.6° | — | |
| Rigil Kentaurus | 137.6° | — | 222.4° | — | |
| Hadar | 134.9° | — | 225.1° | — | |
| Gacrux | 131.6° | — | 228.4° | — | |
| Naos | 133.3° | — | 226.7° | — | |
| Suhail | 129.7° | — | 230.3° | — | |
| Avior | 155.2° | — | 204.8° | — | |
| Atria | 152.6° | — | 207.4° | — | |
| Regor | 141.2° | — | 218.8° | — | |
| Alsephina | 145.8° | — | 214.2° | — | |
| Shaula | 115.5° | — | 244.5° | — | |
| Ankaa | — | — | — | — | |
| Menkent | 104.2° | — | 255.8° | — | |
| Alpheratz | 80.8° | — | 279.2° | — | |
| Eltanin | 3.4° | — | 356.6° | — | |
| Kornephoros | 41.8° | — | 318.2° | — | |
| Rasalhague | 59.2° | — | 300.8° | — | |
| Denebola | 47.8° | — | 312.2° | — | |
| Alhena | 81.2° | — | 278.8° | — | |
| Alphard | 88.9° | — | 271.1° | — | |
| Bharani | 93.5° | — | 266.6° | — | |
| Pushya | 64.0° | — | 296.0° | — | |
| Adhara | 129.1° | — | 230.9° | — | |
| Wezen | 124.9° | — | 235.1° | — | |
| Navi | 43.9° | — | 316.1° | — | |
| Schedar | 49.0° | — | 311.0° | — | |
| Nunki | 111.5° | — | 248.5° | — | |
| Canopus | 167.8° | — | 192.2° | — | |
| Kaus Australis | 117.1° | — | 242.9° | — | |
| Sabik | 89.5° | — | 270.5° | — | |
| Scheat | 78.4° | — | 281.6° | — | |
| Enif | 91.6° | — | 268.4° | — | |
| Diphda | 140.2° | — | 219.8° | — | |
| Alphecca | 28.5° | — | 331.5° | — | |
| Rasalgethi | 55.3° | — | 304.7° | — | |
| Spica | 75.1° | — | 284.9° | — | |
| Zubeneschamali | 74.5° | — | 285.5° | — | |
| Unukalhai | 57.0° | — | 303.1° | — | |
| Murzim | 121.0° | — | 239.0° | — | |
| Phact | 146.2° | — | 213.8° | — | |
| Mirfak | 57.1° | — | 302.9° | — | |
| Vindemiatrix | 48.4° | — | 311.6° | — | |
| Markab | 93.0° | — | 267.0° | — | |
| Algol | 68.5° | — | 291.5° | — | |
| Sadalmelik | 105.2° | — | 254.8° | — | |
| Sadalsuud | 107.3° | — | 252.7° | — | |
| Sun (Summer Solstice) | 61.9° | — | 298.1° | — | |
| Sun (Winter Solstice) | 118.2° | — | 241.8° | — | |
| Sun (Equinox) | 90.0° | — | 270.0° | — | |
| Sun (Northern Cross-Quarter) | 70.3° | — | 289.7° | — | |
| Sun (Southern Cross-Quarter) | 109.7° | — | 250.3° | — | |
| Moon (N Major Standstill) | 55.3° | — | 304.8° | — | |
| Moon (S Major Standstill) | 124.8° | — | 235.3° | — | |
| Moon (N Minor Standstill) | 67.6° | — | 292.4° | — | |
| Moon (S Minor Standstill) | 112.4° | — | 247.6° | — |
Convergence Events (5)
260.3°
Rigel Set
Egyptian, Arabic (foot of the giant), Polynesian navigation
Δ 0.6°
259.7°
Alphard Set
Hindu (Ashlesha/serpent king), Arabic, Chinese
Δ 1.1°
258.9°
Zubeneschamali Set
Hindu (Vishakha), Arabic (northern claw), Babylonian
Δ 2.0°
258.5°
Saiph Set
Arabic (sword), Egyptian, Mesoamerican
Δ 2.3°
263.4°
Sadalsuud Set
Arabic (luckiest), Persian, Babylonian (GU.LA), Hindu (Dhanishta)
Δ 2.6°
Reference Bearings (20 landmarks)
| Landmark | Bearing | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| giza | 260.83° | 1,294 km |
| angkor wat | 94.80° | 6,361 km |
| nazca | 272.79° | 13,621 km |
| teotihuacan | 320.78° | 13,016 km |
| stonehenge | 313.09° | 4,261 km |
| gobekli tepe | 317.64° | 723 km |
| machu picchu | 273.00° | 13,305 km |
| easter island | 276.56° | 17,421 km |
| cahokia | 325.83° | 10,808 km |
| sedona | 339.49° | 12,118 km |
| mecca | 201.31° | 1,317 km |
| jerusalem | 266.84° | 871 km |
| vatican | 299.56° | 2,995 km |
| lhasa | 81.32° | 4,422 km |
| kailash | 82.62° | 3,473 km |
| uluru | 113.36° | 11,195 km |
| tiwanaku | 267.53° | 13,126 km |
| chaco canyon | 336.97° | 11,864 km |
| mt shasta | 349.71° | 11,692 km |
| levis stadium | 348.60° | 12,111 km |
Related Sites — Giza / Orion Extraction