Major finds include a temple dedicated to Isin's tutelary deity, Gula, a goddess associated with sickness and healing, as well as the underworld. The temple dates to the latter half of the 2nd millennium B.C. 8. The site was occupied from the 5th millennium B.C. through A.D. 800. Nippur was the site of the first American excavations in Mesopotamia, undertaken by the University of Pennsylvania from 1889 to 1900. It was explored by the Oriental Institute during the 1950s and early 1960s in conjunction with The University Museum and, later, with the American Schools of Oriental Research.
Excavations continue today.
The ziggurat associated with Enlil's temple is visible on the eastern side of the site.