🏛️ The Ahwar of Southern Iraq: Refuge of Biodiversity and the Relict Landscape of the Mesopotamian Cities
UNESCO World Heritage Site comprising ancient Sumerian cities and restored Mesopotamian wetlands
📌 Fast Facts
- UNESCO World Heritage Site inscribed in 2016 as a mixed (natural and cultural) property
- Located in Dhi Qar and Basra governorates in southern Iraq, spanning approximately 15,000 square kilometers
- Comprises four major marshland areas (Hawizeh, Central, East Hammar, and West Hammar) and three archaeological sites (Uruk, Ur, and Tell Eridu)
- Home to over 200 bird species and traditional Ma'dan (Marsh Arab) communities with millennia-old settlement patterns
The Ahwar of Southern Iraq is a dual-designation UNESCO World Heritage Site that merges ecological and archaeological significance ...