Tell Zurghul

Tell Zurghul, also spelled Tell Surghul (rarely Surghûl, Zerghul, or Zerghûl), is an archaeological site in Dhi Qar Governorate (Iraq). Its ancient name was the cuneiform read as Niĝin (or Nina or Ninua). The city god was Nanshe (Nanše), who had temples there (E-sirara) and at nearby Girsu. She was the daughter of Enki and sister of Ningirsu and Nisaba. Her husband Nindara was also worshiped at the site. Niĝin, along with the cities of Girsu and Lagash, was part of the State of Lagash in the later part of the 3rd Millennium BC. In a text of Early Dynastic IIIb ruler of Lagash Urukagina it reads "For Nanshe he constructed the Nigin-Going-River, built the Eninnu at its beginning, Sirara House at its end". It has been suggested that Hendursaga and Nindub were also worshipped at Nigin.

The city lay on a branch of the ancient Iturungal canal, the southern of two major east west canals in Mesopotamia, that ran from Lagash then south to Tell Zurghu and then to Gu'abba.

"Two effluents took off from the left bank of the Iturungal, the Id-Ninaki-gen-a, which over Bzeikh (Zabalam) flowed to Telloh (Girsu), al Hibba (Uru-ku, Lagas?), and Surghul (Nina) ..."