Did ancient Sumerians know how to travel in space 7,000 years ago?

Iraqi Transport Minister Kazim Finjan made a stunning remark during a business trip to Dhi Qar in 2016. He argues that the Sumerians had their own spaceport and actively navigated the solar system.

Did ancient Sumerians know how to travel in space 7,000 years ago? 1
Partially reconstructed facade and access staircase of the Ziggurat of Ur, originally built by Ur-Nammu, circa 2100 BC. © Image Credit: flickr/Joshua McFall

The Sumerians were a sophisticated civilization that flourished around 7,000 years ago in Mesopotamia, which later became Babylonia and is now located in Iraq and Syria.

In terms of architectural beauty, the Sumerian pyramids are not inferior to the Egyptian pyramids. Several hypotheses for the function of the ziggurats (large constructions built in ancient Mesopotamia) have been proposed, including ufologists’ interest. Nobody expected the official to say such a thing.

A ziggurat is a massive structure erected in ancient Mesopotamia to bring the temple closer to the skies. The Mesopotamians believed that their pyramid temples connected heaven and earth.

Many gods were worshipped by the Sumerians. They prayed to Anu (sky god), Enki (god of water, knowledge, mischief, crafts, and creation), Enlil (Lord Wind), Inanna (Queen of Heaven), Utu (sun god), and Sin (sun god) (moon-god).

They invented the wheel, cuneiform script, arithmetic, geometry, irrigation, saws and other tools, sandals, chariots, harpoons, and beer, among other things.

Finjan believes that the first airports and spacecraft platforms were built some 7,000 years ago in the ancient towns of Eridu and Ur. Unfortunately, the minister provided no explanation for how the Sumerians acquired such technology or why there was no proof of their existence.

While touring the Iraqi Museum’s Sumerian section in Baghdad, Professor Kamal Aziz Ketuly saw three Sumerian clay tablets containing cuneiform text and drawings going back to around 3,000 BC. On one of the tablets, he claims to have uncovered heliocentric drawings of the solar system.

Furthermore, “Mesopotamians utilized a calendar with months and years beginning in 3000 BC, indicating that the Moon was examined at that early age.” “All five planets visible to the naked eye, as well as the Moon, the Sun, the stars, and other celestial phenomena, were known and studied” in ancient Mesopotamia. Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn are the planets involved.

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Ancient Sumerians clay tablets. © Image Credit: British Museum

Scientists have proposed several explanations as to how multi-tiered temples came to be. One of them is the requirement to preserve the edifice in good condition for as long as possible because it was created for the gods. As a result, each succeeding tier was built on top of the previous one.

The Sumerians expressed their desire for the upper realm. The number of platforms might be equivalent to the number of well-known people. It’s important to remember that Lower Mesopotamia was devoid of woods and minerals.

It’s impossible to determine where the materials for a full-fledged spaceship originated from because the Sumerians were active traders. The truth will be veiled under time’s shroud. If the Sumerians had conquered space, they would have fled the earth long ago.