Photo By Spc. Chastity Boykin | Dhiaf Mahsen, Ziggurat curator and tour guide, and a native of Tallil, Iraq, explains...... read more read more
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DHI QAR, Iraq – Among all of the construction that has been undertaken to rebuild the economy of Iraq, one project that was started over 4,000 years ago may hold the keys to the financial future as the site is reframed as a tourist attraction.
In the desert sands outside of Nasiriyah in Dhi Qar province, the ancient Ziggurat of Ur stands as a testament to the craftsmanship and hard work of its builders.
“To think of the amount of effort required to build the temple over four-thousand years ago and the sense of community and spirituality required to organize a project of this magnitude is overwhelming,” said Maj. Brian North
North, who is the executive officer of the 3rd BSTB, 3rd Advise and Assist Brigade, 4th Infantry Division, said that the architecture and the sheer size of the monument is something that the people of Dhi Qar take pride in as part of their continued legacy stretching from millennia ago to the present day.
“Those ties to the past are important,” said North.
The Ziggurat is made of a three-layered, solid mass of mud and brick with no chambers, said Mike Francis Dhaif Muhsen, Ziggurat curator and tour guide.
“The lower layer is from the original construction by Ur Nammu, while the two upper layers were restored during the Neo-Babylonia era,” said Muhsen, who hails from nearby Tallil, Iraq.
Also found at the site are examples of cuneiform, one of the earliest forms of writing. The markings can still be seen on bricks that lay among the ruins of the city of Ur, along with one of the oldest surviving archways. Still more archeological treasures are thought to lie just beneath the surface as only 20 percent of the complex is believed to have been excavated.
The possibility of even more discoveries there has led to the site being seen as a major tourist attraction in the region, with the potential to bring in tourist dollars to the area.
But after weathering thousands of summers in the hostile environment of Mesopotamia, a new hazard threatens to rain destruction upon what remains of the site.
Insurgent rocket attacks launched against nearby Camp Adder have come dangerously close to damaging the Ziggurat along with the other structures that stand nearby. The recent explosions and impacts in the surrounding area may have already done irreparable harm to what had yet to be uncovered.
Furthermore, the continued threat of attacks has harmed the local economy by keep visitors, and their cash, away.
How the locals handle the security situation in the region will undoubtedly affect whether or not the region will see a rebirth in their fortunes, economic or otherwise. Bringing peace to the area after years of conflict would be another monumental achievement in the long and resilient legacy of Iraqi people’s ability to rebuild.
“Walking through the ruins,” said North, “you can clearly get a sense of the pride Iraqis have in their history.”
| Date Taken: | 11.12.2010 |
| Date Posted: | 11.12.2010 11:57 |
| Story ID: | 60013 |
| Location: | DHI QAR, IQ |
| Web Views: | 185 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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