AP Television Khuzestan, Iran - September 29, 2011 1. Pan left of ziggurat temple 2. Mid of temple with workers and archaeologist 3. Wide of ziggurat, pull focus 4. Pan right of ziggurat with men walking in front 5. Zoom out of mud wall opening 6. Wide of exterior walls of the temple 7. SOUNDBITE (Farsi) Abdolrahim Banna, archaeologist and Chogha Zanbil ziggurat specialist: "Ziggurats in Iraq and Mesopotamia have had a similar structure but what is special with this ziggurat is that it has no foundation and every storey was built on the ground. Another special feature is that this ziggurat is quite different in terms of its height and structure. Its historical originality and its other special features make it quite different from its lookalikes in other regions." 8. Tilt up from ground to wide of ziggurat 9. Pan right of ziggurat 10. Close-up of an Elamite inscription on wall 11. Tilt up from paving to main entrance gate of the temple 12. Pan of steps and pavement near the main entrance of the temple 13. Close of paving stone with expert pointing out 3,000-year-old child and animal footsteps on stone 14. SOUNDBITE (Farsi) Abdolrahim Banna, archaeologist and Chogha Zanbil ziggurat specialist: "In fact this ziggurat was dedicated to two gods named Napirisha and Inshushinak. Inshushinak was the god of the city of Susa. Destruction of the complex occurred in 640 BC when Ashurbanipal (Assyrian King 668 BC-627) invaded this region and destroyed it." 15. Pan of the interior brick walls of the temple 16. Various of tourists visiting the temple complex 17. SOUNDBITE (English) Liliana (no last name given) French tourist: "This kind of pyramid ziggurat is very interesting to see how at this period they can built such pyramid. Very, very amazing to understand the technique." 18. Tilt up from ground of passageway 19. Pan left from mud wall to wide of ziggurat 20. Pull focus from an Elamite inscription on temple wall 21. Wide pan from Ziggurat temple to a local tribe performing traditional music of the region 22. Various of tribe members performing a local traditional dance 23. Various of local tribal women singing and clapping 24. Mid of tribal men dancing with ziggurat temple in background LEAD IN: Oil exploration is threatening the world's best-preserved ziggurat in Iran. The stepped pyramid has survived for more than 3,000 years, but the pursuit of oil could undermine the mud-brick structure. STORYLINE: This is Chogha Zanbil in Iran - the best-preserved ziggurat in the world. These massive temple structures of terraced steps are the Mesopotamian equivalent of the great pyramids of Egypt. Roughly translated as "basket mound", the distinctive shape of the Chogha Zanbil temple complex singles it out. It is situated near the ancient city of Susa in Khuzestan Province, 766 kilometres (around 500 miles) southwest of the capital Tehran. Abdolrahim Banna is an archaeologist with a specialist understanding of the Chogha Zanbil ziggurat. One thing that distinguishes it from others are its foundations - or lack of them, he says: "Ziggurats in Iraq and Mesopotamia have had a similar structure but what is special with this ziggurat is that it has no foundation and every storey was built on the ground. Another special feature is that this ziggurat is quite different in terms of its height and structure. Its historical originality and its other special features make it quite different from its lookalikes in other regions." Ziggurat means 'climbing to heaven' in Sumerian, reflecting the stepped structure leading up to the shrine that would have been at the summit. The Chogha Zanbil ziggurat was built around 1250 BC and has survived - without foundations - until now. You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/04a2b817f4f332149a935b38decc784f Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork

• published: 30 Jul 2015
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