Ziggurats and pyramids greatly differ in terms of purpose or function. Pyramids were originally thought to be the final resting places of the pharaohs but more recent archaeological finds have uncovered that they were built with very narrow shafts extending from the inside to the outer surface for the purpose of lifting the pharaoh’s soul unto the heavens. Ziggurats on the other hand were said to have been built to house the gods. Thus, they are the actual dwelling places of the gods themselves especially in the point of view of the Sumerians and Babylonians.