The great palace of Zimri-Lim, who ruled Mari from about 1780 to 1760 BC, was begun before 2100 BC and later rebuilt over several centuries. It contained more than 260 rooms and courts on the ground floor, with others above.
A major element was the double throne-room suite dating to the time of the Assyrian king Shamsi-Adad, who died in 1780 BC, but the complex plan owes most of its final form to Zimri-Lim.
As well as public rooms and private residential apartments, the palace accommodated many workshops where crafts were carried out, such as spinning and weaving linen and woollen garments, blankets and hangings, carpentry including inlaying wood with alabaster and mother-of-pearl, and leather-working. Many of the people who worked in the palace were slaves.
The palace also had a royal treasury and substantial storerooms.
The most important discovery at Mari was a huge archive of more than 20,000 tablets, dealing with every aspect of life, including copious and detailed official records and ranging from diplomatic correspondence to personal letters about the health of royal family members.
