Walking toward the Ziggurat of Ur, a massive Sumerian temple dedicated to the moon god Nannar, tourists often can't help but express their awe. Representative of their excitement is one visitor who remarked, “It’s incredible! I studied it when I was at the primary school! My heart is beating like a drum!”

Ali Zughair, a professor of computer science at the Institute of Technology in Nasiriyah and a civil society activist, is used to overhearing such remarks when he accompanies tourists and students to the archaeological site of Ur, which in the 2nd millennium BCE was one of the most important Sumerian city-states in ancient Mesopotamia. The site is located a mere 16 miles from Nasiriyah, the capital of Dhi Qar province, in southern Iraq.

“I feel so happy that people are coming to visit our area,” Zughair told Al-Monitor. “After years of war and devastation, we want to show off this unique site to the world.”

With some 60,000 inhabitants, Ur, the “world’s first great cosmopolitan city,” symbolized the wealthy Sumerian empire at its peak, around 2000 BCE. Part of the interest in it and part of what makes it fascinating is Ur's modern day reputation for being the “hometown” of the Prophet Abraham. “As Abraham is considered the father of monotheism, his birthplace should attract millions of people every year, like any other pilgrimage site,” said Zughair.