Ishtup-Ilum, also Ishtup-El (𒅖𒁾𒀭, Ish-dub-ilum; died c. 2136 BC)[1] was a ruler of the city of Mari, one of the military governors known as Shakkanakku in northern Mesopotamia, after the fall of Akkad.

[1] He was the son of Ishma-Dagan and brother of Nûr-Mêr, both Shakkanakkus of Mari before him, and, according to the dynastic lists, he ruled after them for a period of 11 years.

It has a rather simple and coarse design, a provincial characteristic during this period, and is significantly less sophisticated than the statues of his successors, such as Puzur-Ishtar.

[5][6] Ishtup-Ilum is also known from a dedication tablet for the "Temple of the King of the Country" (either Dagan or Enlil)[7] with the inscription: 𒅖𒁾𒀭 / 𒄊𒀴 𒈠𒌷𒆠 / 𒌉𒅖𒈣𒀭𒁕𒃶 / 𒄊𒀴 𒈠𒌷𒆠 / 𒂍 / 𒀭𒈗𒈤𒁴 / 𒅁𒉌[8] Ishtup-Ilum / Shakkanakku Mari-ki / dumu Ishma-Dagan / Shakkanakku Mari-ki / e / dLugal-mādim / ibni[9]

"Ishtup-Ilum, Shakkanakku of Mari, son of Ishma-Dagan, Shakkanakku of Mari, built the Temple for God Lugal-mātim (the "Lord of the Land", identified with Dagan or Enlil)"[10][11]This implies that Ishtup-Ilum was the builder of this "Temple of the King of the Country", in which were also discovered beautiful copper statues of guardian lions, the "Lions of Mari", probably installed later during a rebuilding of the temple in the early 2nd millennium BCE.