Uruklink

The ancient city of Uruk was the first major city in Sumeria and it gave name to the Uruk period (ca. 4000 to 3100 BC). Uruk is known today by the Arabic name of Warka. It is situated 15 miles east of the river Euphrat and is a famous location for excavations.

Uruk Mosaic © Flickr / Benjamin Rabe

4000 BC, Uruk used to be one of the biggest cities in the world with huge political influence. Located in Mesopotamia (ancient Iraq), its culture still influences the area of near east even today. Back then it was a city build of mud-brick buildings. The architecture of the time combined detailed mosaics and works of art integrated into the buildings. The excavations tell a detailed story of the Uruk period.

Mecca is a city in Saudi Arabia and the most important city to Muslims. The reason for that is that the prophet Muhammad proclaimed Islam there in the 7th century. He preached to the people of Mecca just to pray to Allah and to convert to Islam. He and his followers emigrated to Medina in 622 because of persecution.

Mecca ©Flickr Al Jazeera English

The pilgrimage to Mecca, called Hajj, is one of the 5 pillars of Islam and it says that every muslim who is able and can afford must make the pilgrimage for at least once in the lifetime. Therefore, millions of pilgrims come to Mecca each year. Most Pilgrims want to see the Kaaba.

Al-Thawrah is a city in Syria. It is located about 55 km west of Al-Raqqah. The city was built near the Tabaqah Dam on the Euphrates. The name “Al-Thawrah” can be translated as “the revolution” and refers to the March 8th revolution. 65,000 people live in Al-Thawrah.

Lake Assad ©Flickr loufi

The Tabaqa Dam or al-Thawra Dam is a dam made of compacted earth on the Euphrates near the city of Ar-Raqqah. The dam is with 60 m height and 4.5 km length Syria’s largest dam. Through its construction, Lake Assad was formed which is Syria’s largest water reservoir. The dam was finished in the year 1973.

Much of the infrastructure of Iraq was destroyed during the 2003 invasion. After June 28, 2004, Iraq-led governments were established and efforts were made to repair damaged Iraq’s water supply systems, electricity production, hospitals and buildings.

Reconstruction of Iraq ©Flickr The U.S. Army

Much reconstruction work in local communities has been done by the Iraqi people using the resources they had. International assistance was a main topic of the Madrid Conference on Reconstruction held in Spain in October, 2003 with the attendance of 25 nations. The funds assembled there were primarily used to assist large-scale projects.

Mustansiriya Madrasah is one of the oldest Islamic buildings, primarily used for education, in the world. It was built in 1227 during the Abbasid period. Madrasah is the arabic word for any type of educational centre and is used to describe universities as well as schools.

Mustansiriya Madrasah ©Flickr salam pax

The Mustansiriya Madrasah is a beautiful ancient building and can be found on the left bank of the Tigris River. It has been restored after the Mongul invasion. Mustansiriya Madrasah is one of Baghdad’s main sights for tourists.

The Al-Nahrain University is one the best universities in Iraq. It is located in the capital Baghdad and was established in 1987 under the name Saddam University. After the fall of Saddam Hussein, it has been renamed to Al-Nahrain University. “Al Nahrain” means The Two Rivers and refers to the Euphrates and the Tigris.

Al-Nahrain University has restrictive policies that allow only very intelligent students to attend in their courses. First, prospective students have to pass tests on different subjects. English and academic writing are always important part of the tests.

Al-Qādisiyyah is an ancient city, located in Iraq, southwest of al-Hillah and al-Kūfah. It is known for the Battle of al-Qādisiyyah in 636, in which Arab-Muslim invaders defeat a larger army of the Sāsānian Empire.

The Arab Muslims who took part in the war became known as ‘’ahl al-Qādisiyyah’’. The end of the Sassanian rule in Iraq was the occupation of their capital Ctesiphon. The Siege of the city lasted for two months, before it was finally taken in March 637 A.D.

According to geologists, Iraq could be the country with the largest remaining reserves of oil in the world. Exploration showed reserves with about 350 billion barrels. Official statistics base on data gathered in 2001, because no official exploration has been done since military occupation started and may as well be wrong. International geologists estimate that the unexplored territory may even contain larger reserves.

oil reserves ©Flickr richardmasoner

Many former Iraq oil wells are not in use or have been destroyed during the long periods of war. Modernization and investment is needed. The estimated amount of money needed just to maintain current level of production is around $1 billion per year.

The Hands of Victory belong to the main sights in Baghdad. They are sometimes referred to as the Swords of Qādisīyah and consist of a pair of triumphal arches. Each arch is built by two hands holding swords which cross in the center.

The two arches are a memorial of the Iran-Iraq war. 1989, they were opened to the public and belong to Baghdad’s sights.

Babylon was an ancient city-state in the time of Mesopotamia. Its ruins can be found in Al Hillah, Iraq.

Hanging Gardens of Babylon ©Flickr Carla216

Not much remains of the famous Babylon today, but a mound of broken mud-brick buildings. Babylon appears first in history at the beginning of the 3rd millennium BC. The city grew and gained importance with the first Babylonian Dynasty. It was the Capital of the Neo-Babylonian Empire from 612 to 539 BC.