Libur Nadushu - King's Gate

Libur Nadushu
May Its Founder Flourish!

Sin is the Akkadian name for the Moon. It is a contraction of the name Su'en, which in turn is a transposition of the elements of the Sumerian en.zu (=zu.en), "Lord of Wisdom," an epithet of the Moon God Nanna. His name my be a form of en.nanna (an unattested name), "Lord of Heaven." His partner is Ningal, "Great Lady." Nanna/Sin is Inanna/Ishtar's Father, as Utu/Shamash, the Sun, is her brother. The Sun is thus younger than the Moon, and night gives birth to day. Sin is one of the most ancient Gods, and one of his cities, Harran, continued in the old religion until 1260 c.e., when the invading Mongols razed it. Although an ancient and popular God, with main centers at Ur (in the south) and Harran (in the north), Nanna/Sin never became nationally prominent in the way that Ashshur or Marduk did, whose cities became the seats of dynasties.

The King's Gate, "May Its Founder Flourish!", led to the west of Babylon, the direction of Harran. Harran was long the much contended north-westernmost outpost of succeeding Mesopotamian dynasties. The King's Gate was conceivably named because of one of Sin' epithets, "Lord of the Crown," just as the street of King's Gate is named "Sin is the establisher of his Lordly Crown." We may understand this crown to be the Crown of Wisdom as well as the Crown of Kingship. This Gate is therefore sacred to Sin.