ishtar-kititum

Reconstruction of the temple of Ishtar-Kititum at Ischali. Isin-Larsa period. C. 1950-1850BC.

The temple of Ischali belonged to the independent kingdom of Eshnunna, which was one of several independent city states which grew up after the fall of the Third Dynasty of Ur, and before the unification of the whole country under the Amorite, Hammurabi. To reach the shrine of Ishtar from the courtyard the worshipper mounted the staircase and turned right inside the entrance, to face the deity.

From The Ancient World by Giovanni Garbini