Eabzu

Eabzu, also written E-abzu, is the name of the temple complex dedicated to the Mesopotamian god Enki (Ea) in the city of Eridu. The name means "House of the Abzu," with Abzu referring to the primeval freshwater ocean in Sumerian cosmology. In Sumerian religion, Enki was the god of water, wisdom, crafts, and subterranean streams, and the E-abzu served as a principal cult center for his worship.

Traditionally, Eridu is considered among the earliest urban centers in southern Mesopotamia, and the E-abzu temple complex is associated with the city's founding myths and with the establishment of organized religious practice there.

Chronology and architecture: The temple's remains date from the Early Dynastic period onward, with multiple rebuilding phases into the Old Babylonian period. The temple was constructed of mud-brick and featured shrine rooms and elevated platforms typical of Mesopotamian temple design.

In archaeology and scholarship: The E-abzu is referenced in Sumerian and Akkadian texts and is identified with the temple of Enki in Eridu in textual tradition. Excavations at Eridu spanning the late 19th and 20th centuries uncovered layers that preserve the temple's early phases, though precise dating remains debated.

Legacy: The concept of E-abzu has influenced modern understandings of Sumerian religion and temple organization; it is often cited as an early example of temple-centered urban life in Mesopotamia. See also Enki, Abzu, Eridu.