Ziggurat of Ashiki

Purpose / Function

The Mesitu built the ziggurat to honor the god Ashiki, ruler of all rivers connected to the Encircling Sea. As such, he is one of the gracious patrons of urban life and civilization.

Alterations

To celebrate their triumph over the defeated Mesitu army, the Kalu warlord Amukibazala and his army expelled the priests and threw a massive feast. Excess revelries followed, from feasting, drinking, fistfights, and music. The festivities lasted six days and nights before a surprise counterattack by the Mesitu forced the Kalu survivors from Hangal.

Architecture

The building is a ziggurat built in the Mesitu style with five levels. The five tiers symbolize the five aspects of the world most sacred to the Sarriki people: the life-giving earth, the sky above their head, the holy waters that sustain life, the afterlife beneath, and the heaven beyond the sky - where some of the gods live. While the four levels host priest living quarters, storehouses, and public areas, the apex shelters a statue of Ashiki. Crafted from gold and silver, the likeness is treated as if an extension of the god himself. It is treated with the utmost exaltation, being dressed, bathed, and otherwise cared for like a person. The temple is surrounded by open space and a wall. Lush gardens and deep pools fill the space between the ziggurat and wall, which coincide with Ashiki’s domains.

History

The Ziggurat of Ashiki - in the border city of Hangal - has its origins during that city's third dynasty. The king Zarapatusu - third ruler from the family - ordered its construction. It took years to build, and the king spared no expense. Upon its completion, the Ziggurat of Ashiki was the largest temple of its kind in Mesitu, on par with the temples built during the Sarriku Empire by Delumash and his kin.

Type

Temple / Religious complex