A Turkish translation of the Enuma Elish, the Babylonian epic of creation, has been published as part of the Hasan Âli Yücel Classics Series by Türkiye İş Bankası Press. The translation is the joint work of Selim Ferruh Adalı of the Bilkent University Department of Archaeology and the Social Science University of Ankara and Ali Turan Görgü of the Bilkent University Faculty of Humanities and Letters.
The Enuma Elish exalts Marduk, god of Babylon, among the gods who took part in the creation of the universe, the earth, the cosmic regions and humanity according to Mesopotamian tradition. Alongside the Epic of Gilgamesh and the Babylonian Almanac, the Enuma Elish was the best-known Mesopotamian classic. This sacred work was recited in temples and schools and was treasured in Babylonian society as well as in the rest of Mesopotamia as part of the region’s religious and cultural heritage.
Dr. Adalı and Mr. Görgü have dedicated their book to the memory of Talât Sait Halman.