• The Great Ziggurat of Ur in the southern Iraqi province of Dhi Qar is illuminated before the visit of Pope Francis to the country. AFP
    The Great Ziggurat of Ur in the southern Iraqi province of Dhi Qar is illuminated before the visit of Pope Francis to the country. AFP
  • The Great Ziggurat of Ur. The Pope will visit the ancient city during a four-day visit to Iraq that begins on March 5. AFP
    The Great Ziggurat of Ur. The Pope will visit the ancient city during a four-day visit to Iraq that begins on March 5. AFP
  • The Great Ziggurat of Ur in the province of Dhi Qar, about 375 kilometres south-east of Iraq's capital Baghdad. AFP
    The Great Ziggurat of Ur in the province of Dhi Qar, about 375 kilometres south-east of Iraq's capital Baghdad. AFP
  • Pope Francis will visit the ancient city of Ur, home to the Great Ziggurat, during his tour of Iraq. AP
    Pope Francis will visit the ancient city of Ur, home to the Great Ziggurat, during his tour of Iraq. AP
  • Pope Francis will arrive in Iraq on March 5 for a four-day visit that includes a strip to the ancient city of Ur in the south of the country. Reuters
    Pope Francis will arrive in Iraq on March 5 for a four-day visit that includes a strip to the ancient city of Ur in the south of the country. Reuters

Iraq

Great Ziggurat of Ur lit up ahead of Pope Francis's Iraq visit

Pontiff scheduled to visit the ancient city of Ur on March 6

The National

March 04, 2021

  • English
  • Arabic

Each ancient civilisation had its own distinct architecture. Egypt built pyramids and Rome had coliseums. For the Mesopotamian civilisation – modern day Iraq – that distinctive structure was the ziggurat.

At the end of the fourth millennium BC, these enormous mud-brick platforms were built at numerous sites in Mesopotamia.

Today, ziggurats are found scattered around Iraq and Iran, and were used for religious rituals and administrative purposes.

One of the largest and best-preserved ziggurats of Mesopotamia is the Great Ziggurat at Ur, built about 2100 BC. Ahead of a visit by Pope Francis, the structure is being illuminated to show off its magnificence.

Small excavations and renovations occurred at Ur's ziggurat when a project jointly sponsored by the British Museum and the University of Pennsylvania Museum under the direction of Sir Leonard Woolley began at the site.

Sir Woolley used ancient descriptions and representations of ziggurats to reconstruct the upper stages that were destroyed over the centuries. The Iraqi Directorate of Antiquities has since restored its lower stages.

A look around the ancient city of Ur – in pictures

  • The site where Abraham, the father of three main monotheistic religions – Judaism, Christianity and Islam – is thought to have been born in the ancient city of Ur. Its ruins are in what is now Dhi Qar province, Iraq, about 375 kilometres southeast of Baghdad. AFP
    The site where Abraham, the father of three main monotheistic religions – Judaism, Christianity and Islam – is thought to have been born in the ancient city of Ur. Its ruins are in what is now Dhi Qar province, Iraq, about 375 kilometres southeast of Baghdad. AFP
  • The ancient archaeological site of Ur, traditionally believed to be the birthplace of Abraham, before the planned visit of Pope Francis. Reuters
    The ancient archaeological site of Ur, traditionally believed to be the birthplace of Abraham, before the planned visit of Pope Francis. Reuters
  • The ancient archaeological site of Ur, traditionally believed to be the birthplace of Abraham, before the planned visit of Pope Francis. Reuters
    The ancient archaeological site of Ur, traditionally believed to be the birthplace of Abraham, before the planned visit of Pope Francis. Reuters
  • The ancient archaeological site of Ur, traditionally believed to be the birthplace of Abraham, before the planned visit of Pope Francis. Reuters
    The ancient archaeological site of Ur, traditionally believed to be the birthplace of Abraham, before the planned visit of Pope Francis. Reuters
  • Men walk down the stairs of the Ziggurat of Ur ruins, near Nassiriya, Iraq. Reuters
    Men walk down the stairs of the Ziggurat of Ur ruins, near Nassiriya, Iraq. Reuters
  • The ancient archaeological site of Ur, traditionally believed to be the birthplace of Abraham, near Nassiriya, Iraq. Reuters
    The ancient archaeological site of Ur, traditionally believed to be the birthplace of Abraham, near Nassiriya, Iraq. Reuters
  • Officials inspect the ancient archaeological site of Ur, near Nassiriya, Iraq, before the planned arrival of Pope Francis. Reuters
    Officials inspect the ancient archaeological site of Ur, near Nassiriya, Iraq, before the planned arrival of Pope Francis. Reuters
  • Officials inspect the ancient archaeological site of Ur, near Nassiriya, Iraq, before the planned arrival of Pope Francis. Reuters
    Officials inspect the ancient archaeological site of Ur, near Nassiriya, Iraq, before the planned arrival of Pope Francis. Reuters
  • A man inspects the ancient archaeological site of Ur, near Nassiriya, Iraq, before the planned arrival of Pope Francis. Reuters
    A man inspects the ancient archaeological site of Ur, near Nassiriya, Iraq, before the planned arrival of Pope Francis. Reuters
  • A man walks towards the ancient archaeological site of Ur, near Nassiriya, Iraq, before the planned arrival of Pope Francis. Reuters
    A man walks towards the ancient archaeological site of Ur, near Nassiriya, Iraq, before the planned arrival of Pope Francis. Reuters
  • The Ziggurat of Ur ruins, near Nassiriya, Iraq. Reuters
    The Ziggurat of Ur ruins, near Nassiriya, Iraq. Reuters
  • The Ziggurat of Ur ruins, near Nassiriya, Iraq. Reuters
    The Ziggurat of Ur ruins, near Nassiriya, Iraq. Reuters
  • The Ziggurat of Ur ruins, near Nassiriya, Iraq. Reuters
    The Ziggurat of Ur ruins, near Nassiriya, Iraq. Reuters
  • The Ziggurat of Ur ruins, near Nassiriya, Iraq. Reuters
    The Ziggurat of Ur ruins, near Nassiriya, Iraq. Reuters
  • The Great Ziggurat temple, Ur, where Abraham, the father of three main monotheistic religions – Judaism, Christianity and Islam – is thought to have been born in the ancient city of Ur. Its ruins are in what is now Dhi Qar province, Iraq, about 375 kilometres southeast of Baghdad. AFP
    The Great Ziggurat temple, Ur, where Abraham, the father of three main monotheistic religions – Judaism, Christianity and Islam – is thought to have been born in the ancient city of Ur. Its ruins are in what is now Dhi Qar province, Iraq, about 375 kilometres southeast of Baghdad. AFP
TO A LAND UNKNOWN

Director: Mahdi Fleifel

Starring: Mahmoud Bakri, Aram Sabbah, Mohammad Alsurafa

Rating: 4.5/5

Iraq