Climate Change Threatens the Civilization Cradle in Iraq

SadaNews - Iraqi officials are sounding the alarm to save the artifacts of the cradle of civilization, as a history spanning thousands of years faces the danger of extinction due to erosion caused by climate change, which threatens the ancient cities in southern Iraq.

Soil salinity is increasing due to harsh dry weather, causing damage to historical artifacts in the ruins of cities such as Ur, the birthplace of the Prophet Abraham (peace be upon him), and Babylon, which was once the capital of great empires.

Salt deposits are eroding the bricks that make up the Royal Cemetery of Ur, discovered by British archaeologist Sir Leonard Woolley in the 1920s, which is now at risk of collapse.

Dr. Kazem Hassoun, an inspector at the Antiquities Department in Dhi Qar, said, "These salts have appeared as a result of global warming, and climate change has led to the destruction of important parts of the cemetery, in addition to other parts of the ancient city of Ur. These climate changes or what we call climate extremities are currently working to terminate all the buildings in the city of Ur due to what they are exposed to from salinity and groundwater, in addition to extreme heat and general drought in the region."

Hassoun added, "These salts will cause complete collapses of all the bricks in this cemetery, and the evidence of this can be seen here; this brick is eroding over time due to the salts, leading to the formation of cavities and openings. These openings can lead to the sudden collapse of the structure."

Indeed, sand dunes have caused deterioration on the northern side of the Ziggurat of Ur, a massive stepped temple dedicated more than 4,000 years ago to the moon god Nanna.

Abdullah Nasrallah, an archaeologist at the Antiquities Department in Dhi Qar, where the city of Ur is located, stated, "The disappearance of parts of the second layer of the Ziggurat of Ur, especially the original height of the ziggurat which is said to be 27 meters, now only 17 meters remains. Erosion has begun in the second layer, although the third layer is eroded due to weather factors and climate changes, but erosion has started in the second layer of the ziggurat."

He added, "Northern winds are the main and primary factor in the erosion of building parts, especially as this can be observed in the (Diblah Makh) and the royal cemetery and the ziggurat, particularly since the northern part of the ziggurat is eroding because the areas overlooking the northern side are sand dune areas. These sand dunes and winds transform into dust and winds, causing erosion in the northern parts of the structure."

This majestic temple, listed on the UNESCO World Heritage list, remains one of the best-preserved examples of ancient architecture in Mesopotamia, providing a glimpse into the religious practices and holy rituals of the Sumerian Empire, where one of the world's earliest civilizations flourished.

Iraq is facing a rise in temperatures and severe drought waves, which have increased salinity levels in its southern regions, where the great rivers Tigris and Euphrates meet as they approach the Gulf.

In the upper reaches of the Euphrates, the archaeological sites of ancient Babylon are also at risk.

Dr. Muntaser Al-Hassanawi, the director-general of the Iraqi Ministry of Culture and Tourism, stated to Reuters that these sites are in dire need of attention and restoration, but lack of funding remains a challenge.

High salinity levels in the historic city of Babylon threaten the clay materials used in constructing ancient buildings, which still bear fine Sumerian designs.

Al-Hassanawi noted that these materials were extracted directly from the ground, where salinity levels were low at the time, which should have made them less susceptible to climate change. However, improper restoration practices in previous decades have made the ancient structures more vulnerable to risk.

Holding one of the stones, he said, "We see these ancient stones that are over 2,500 years old, and the seal is still on them. The ancient construction in Iraqi civilizations relied on local materials, which are from this land. Previously, when they were built in those times, salinity levels were low, thus they were less affected by climate changes."

The rising salinity rates have led to the necessity of restoring what has been damaged.

Al-Hassanawi stated that "what happened is that the wrong treatments in previous decades, especially in the 1980s, made those buildings more susceptible to the impacts of climate changes, necessitating a (correction) of the improper restoration."

Iraq has already suffered from decades of wars that threatened its historical landmarks, from the war with Iran in the 1980s to the Gulf War in the early 1990s, the US-led invasion in 2003, and the ensuing waves of violence, alongside the rise and fall of the Islamic State organization.

But the latest challenge Iraq faces now is climate change, which alters the entire ecosystem of the country, jeopardizing agricultural prospects and threatening Iraq's historical imprint.

Al-Hassanawi said, "Now, the problem of salinization is increasing in surface waters, and thus in groundwater, which will affect the soil salinization that will increase its concentrations, and consequently, this may lead to the extinction of many cities still buried under the ground."

He added, "All these artifacts call for sounding the alarm and paying attention to them, as well as solving the problems related to their restoration and excavation, particularly the lack of funding allocated for them, and also using the security space that Iraq currently enjoys to attract more foreign missions to preserve these artifacts."

Source: Reuters