A ziggurat is a sort of large stone building resembling pyramids and with tiered tiers that was built in ancient Mesopotamia. It is only accessible via the stairways and has traditionally acted as a connection between the gods and humans, as well as a practical flood refuge. The Babylonians constructed over 7,000 such buildings during their reign. The Egyptians also built many such structures, some of which are still visible today. However, none of these structures survive today except for some drawings on cuneiform tablets and some material evidence such as pillars and walls found at archeological sites. The ziggurats were used for religious purposes by the Babylonians. Priests would go up into the temples with animal sacrifices on certain days of the year. They would pray to the gods for blessings on the city itself and also on behalf of its residents when making petitions to them. People would also make pilgrimages to the ziggurats to ask the gods for favors. These pilgrims would travel to the temple towns of Babylonia and Egypt where the ziggurats were located. They would pay homage to the priests who ran the temples and offer gifts in exchange for prayers for themselves and their families. Finally, the ziggurats were used as human sacrifice platforms.