Enlil was the patron god of the Sumerian city-state of Nippur and his main center of worship was the Ekur temple located there.
The name of the temple literally means "Mountain House" in ancient Sumerian.
The Ekur was believed to have been built and established by Enlil himself.
It was believed to be the "mooring-rope" of heaven and earth, meaning that it was seen as "a channel of communication between earth and heaven".
A hymn written during the reign of Ur-Nammu, the founder of the Third Dynasty of Ur, describes the E-kur in great detail, stating that its gates were carved with scenes of Imdugud, a lesser deity sometimes shown as a giant bird, slaying a lion and an eagle snatching up a sinner.

The Sumerians believed that the sole purpose of humanity's existence was to serve the gods.
They thought that a god's statue was a physical embodiment of the god himself.
As such, cult statues were given constant care and attention and a set of priests were assigned to tend to them.
People worshipped Enlil by offering food and other human necessities to him.
The food, which was ritually laid out before the god's cult statue in the form of a feast, was believed to be Enlil's daily meal, but, after the ritual, it would be distributed among his priests.
These priests were also responsible for changing the cult statue's clothing.

The Sumerians envisioned Enlil as a benevolent, fatherly deity, who watches over humanity and cares for their well-being.
One Sumerian hymn describes Enlil as so glorious that even the other gods could not look upon him.
The same hymn also states that, without Enlil, civilization could not exist.
Enlil's epithets include titles such as "the Great Mountain" and "King of the Foreign Lands".
Enlil is also sometimes described as a "raging storm", a "wild bull", and a "merchant".
The Mesopotamians envisioned him as a creator, a father, a king, and the supreme lord of the universe.
He was also known as "Nunamnir" and is referred to in at least one text as the "East Wind and North Wind".

Kings regarded Enlil as a model ruler and sought to emulate his example.
Enlil was said to be supremely just and intolerant towards evil.
Rulers from all over Sumer would travel to Enlil's temple in Nippur to be legitimized.
They would return Enlil's favor by devoting lands and precious objects to his temple as offerings.
Nippur was the only Sumerian city-state that never built a palace; this was intended to symbolize the city's importance as the center of the cult of Enlil by showing that Enlil himself was the city's king.
Even during the Babylonian Period, when Marduk had superseded Enlil as the supreme god, Babylonian kings still traveled to the holy city of Nippur to seek recognition of their right to rule.

Enlil first rose to prominence during the twenty-fourth century BC, when the importance of the god An began to wane.
During this time period, Enlil and An are frequently invoked together in inscriptions.
Enlil remained the supreme god in Mesopotamia throughout the Amorite Period, with Amorite monarchs proclaiming Enlil as the source of their legitimacy.
Enlil's importance began to wane after the Babylonian king Hammurabi conquered Sumer.
The Babylonians worshipped Enlil under the name "Elil" and the Hurrians syncretized him with their own god Kumarbi.
In one Hurrian ritual, Enlil and Apantu are invoked as "the father and mother of Išḫara".
Enlil is also invoked alongside Ninlil as a member of "the mighty and firmly established gods".

During the Kassite Period (c. 1592 BC – 1155 BC), Nippur briefly managed to regain influence in the region and Enlil rose to prominence once again.
From around 1300 BC onwards, Enlil was syncretized with the Assyrian national god Aššur, who was the most important deity in the Assyrian pantheon.
Then, in 1230 BC, the Elamites attacked Nippur and the city fell into decline, taking the cult of Enlil along with it.
Approximately one hundred years later, Enlil's role as the head of the pantheon was given to Marduk, the national god of the Babylonians.
Enlil's importance in the pantheon significantly
Enlil was the patron god of the Sumerian city-state of Nippur and his main center of worship was the Ekur temple located there. The name of the temple literally means "Mountain House" in ancient Sumerian. The Ekur was believed to have been built and established by Enlil himself. It was believed to be the "mooring-rope" of heaven and earth, meaning that it was seen as "a channel of communication between earth and heaven". A hymn written during the reign of Ur-Nammu, the founder of the Third Dynasty of Ur, describes the E-kur in great detail, stating that its gates were carved with scenes of Imdugud, a lesser deity sometimes shown as a giant bird, slaying a lion and an eagle snatching up a sinner.
The Sumerians believed that the sole purpose of humanity's existence was to serve the gods. They thought that a god's statue was a physical embodiment of the god himself. As such, cult statues were given constant care and attention and a set of priests were assigned to tend to them. People worshipped Enlil by offering food and other human necessities to him. The food, which was ritually laid out before the god's cult statue in the form of a feast, was believed to be Enlil's daily meal, but, after the ritual, it would be distributed among his priests. These priests were also responsible for changing the cult statue's clothing.
The Sumerians envisioned Enlil as a benevolent, fatherly deity, who watches over humanity and cares for their well-being. One Sumerian hymn describes Enlil as so glorious that even the other gods could not look upon him. The same hymn also states that, without Enlil, civilization could not exist. Enlil's epithets include titles such as "the Great Mountain" and "King of the Foreign Lands". Enlil is also sometimes described as a "raging storm", a "wild bull", and a "merchant". The Mesopotamians envisioned him as a creator, a father, a king, and the supreme lord of the universe. He was also known as "Nunamnir" and is referred to in at least one text as the "East Wind and North Wind".
Kings regarded Enlil as a model ruler and sought to emulate his example. Enlil was said to be supremely just and intolerant towards evil. Rulers from all over Sumer would travel to Enlil's temple in Nippur to be legitimized. They would return Enlil's favor by devoting lands and precious objects to his temple as offerings. Nippur was the only Sumerian city-state that never built a palace; this was intended to symbolize the city's importance as the center of the cult of Enlil by showing that Enlil himself was the city's king. Even during the Babylonian Period, when Marduk had superseded Enlil as the supreme god, Babylonian kings still traveled to the holy city of Nippur to seek recognition of their right to rule.
Enlil first rose to prominence during the twenty-fourth century BC, when the importance of the god An began to wane. During this time period, Enlil and An are frequently invoked together in inscriptions. Enlil remained the supreme god in Mesopotamia throughout the Amorite Period, with Amorite monarchs proclaiming Enlil as the source of their legitimacy. Enlil's importance began to wane after the Babylonian king Hammurabi conquered Sumer. The Babylonians worshipped Enlil under the name "Elil" and the Hurrians syncretized him with their own god Kumarbi. In one Hurrian ritual, Enlil and Apantu are invoked as "the father and mother of Išḫara". Enlil is also invoked alongside Ninlil as a member of "the mighty and firmly established gods".
During the Kassite Period (c. 1592 BC – 1155 BC), Nippur briefly managed to regain influence in the region and Enlil rose to prominence once again. From around 1300 BC onwards, Enlil was syncretized with the Assyrian national god Aššur, who was the most important deity in the Assyrian pantheon. Then, in 1230 BC, the Elamites attacked Nippur and the city fell into decline, taking the cult of Enlil along with it. Approximately one hundred years later, Enlil's role as the head of the pantheon was given to Marduk, the national god of the Babylonians. Enlil's importance in the pantheon significantly 
Enlil