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Ur, Iraq
The site of Ur in southern Iraq is famed as the birthplace of Abraham – the founding father of Judaism, Christianity and Islam – and contains the best preserved ziggurat in the Middle East. Occupied over the course of 4000 years before being abandoned around 400 BC, the site reached its peak during the so-called Ur III period 4000 years ago and is the time when the ziggurat was first built by the king Ur-Nammu, who is also credited with creating a law code that predates the famous Code of Hammurabi by some 300 years.
Archaeological evidence dates the site of Ur to at least 6000 BC, but it was most likely occupied as long as 10,000 years ago. The city reached prominence in the 3rd millennium BC and was host to numerous civilizations until the 5th century BC. The Sumerians, Akkadians, Old Babylonians, Kassites, Neo-Babylonians and Persians all occupied the city at various times in history and left behind material evidence of their cultures. The city flourished for more than 4,000 years, playing a prominent role in the history of Mesopotamia. The city was abandoned around 400 BC due to the Euphrates River changing course. After the last inhabitants left the city, the desert sands buried the majority of the ruins for more than 2,000 years.
