Dūr-Abī-ešuḫ
Ancient Mesopotamian city / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dūr-Abī-ešuḫ (also Dūr-Abiešuḫ) was built by Abi-Eshuh (c. 1648–1620 BC) a ruler of the First Dynasty of Babylon. Its name means "Fortress of Abi-Eshuh". A year name of that ruler reads "Year in which Abi-eszuh the king built 'Dur-Abi-eszuh-szarrum / the fortress of Abi-eszuh the king' above / upstream the gate of the city on the bank of the Tigris".[1] Its location is not yet known though it is thought to be near the ancient city of Nippur and presumably on the Tigris river. In cuneiform text it is usually called Dur-Abi-ešuh(canal) or more formally Dur-Abi-ešuhki ša zibbat i₇Hammu-rabi-nuhuš-niši meaning "Dur-Abiešuh-at-the-outlet-of-the-canal-Hammu-rabi-nuhuš-niši". In occasional unprovenaced tablets it is called Dur-Abi-ešuh(Tigris). Recent thinking is that there was actually a pair of fortresses with the name Dur-Abi-ešuh.[2] While the site has not been found hundreds of cuneiform tablets began appearing on the antiquities market beginning around 1998 and as they are published more is being learned about the site. Because the threat from the Sealand dynasty and the movement of the Tigris river forced some cultic institutions, including that of the prominent Ekur temple community of Enlil, to move to Dur-Abi-ešuh there should be a number of temple records there.[3][4]
It has been suggested that after the fall of Babylon Dūr-Abiešuḫ was renamed to Dūr-Enlil and became the capital of the First Sealand dynasty.[5][6]