Nasiriya, Iraq – It is where the wheel was invented, the Hammurabi code – or the rule of law – was first established and where oil was first burned as a source of energy.
It is the ancient Iraqi city of Ur – located in the province of Dhi Qar, 300 km south of the capital Baghdad – and where Pope Francis plans to visit on his historic three-day trip to the country.
More than 6,000 years ago, Ur emerged as one of the world’s first major urban centers and centuries later developed into the center of the then global economy with its factories producing massively carpets and woolen garments for export within Mesopotamia and beyond.
Ur – also called Tal al-Muqayer – has been considered one of the most important archaeological sites throughout history. 
The Pope is expected to host an interfaith meeting in Ur on Saturday.
Dhi Qar is the heart of the ancient Iraqi civilization of Sumer and includes the ruins of Ur, Eridu, Lagash, Gisu, Umma and Bad-tibira, or the copper workers’ wall.
In July 2016, UNESCO listed Ur as a World Heritage Site, alongside the swamps of southern Iraq and other sites such as Eridu and Al-Warka.
During his visit to Iraq, Pope Francis will visit Ur after meeting with politicians, religious figures and archaeological sites in the cities of Najaf, Erbil, Mosul and the capital Baghdad.
The stairs to the top of the Ziggurat temple [Asaad Mohammed/Al Jazeera]A life full of luxury
Ur is one of the many cities built by the Sumerians, who made it the capital of their state. When they settled in southern Iraq around 3,500 BC, they surrounded it with walls and built markets, workshops, and farming villages within. It led to the development of primary commercial transport routes with other cities and countries of the era.
Excavations in the early 20th century in Ur indicated that the people lived luxurious lives while the city thrived in the cultivation and trade of wheat and barley. Excavations continue to this day as there are still undiscovered treasures that will provide further insight into one of the world’s first progressive cities.
For decades, archaeological digs were banned due to conflict and security concerns. But Iraqi and American researchers began to resume excavations in the area a few years after the fall of dictator Saddam Hussein.
“During the 2007 excavation season in the ancient city of Ur, we found about 100 tablet artifacts with important ancient texts,” Mustafa al-Hussaini, a Nasiriya-based archaeologist, told Al Jazeera.
“When we studied the texts by helping the American University of Stony Brook, we discovered that these tablets are a miniature library. I found about 45, ”he said.
The Sumerians developed irrigation systems and grain cultivation, as well as invented the cuneiform script used in ancient Mesopotamia and Persia. They also developed an algorithm on which timekeeping is based up to the present day.
Sumerian society recognized the mother’s leadership role in the family, and women commanded a high level of respect. Another cultural legacy of the Sumerian civilization was poetry and pottery.
Tourists stand in front of the Ziggurat Temple in the ancient city of Ur [Asaad Mohammed/Al Jazeera]Oldest pyramid
British archaeologist Sir Leonard Woolley, who excavated Ur in 1922, discovered a royal tomb that corresponds to the pharaonic tomb in the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt.
The Sumerians were interested in building mud and asphalt temples. An ancient Ziggurat, or terraced compound, still stands in Ur and is considered one of the oldest pyramids of Mesopotamia’s civilization.
The complex next to the Ziggurat is said to date back to about 1900 BC and was once the home of the Prophet Ibrahim, known to Christians and Jews as Abraham.
Amer Abdulrazzaq, head of the Nasiriyah Civilization Museum, explained why Ur is considered so important to Christians, Jews and Muslims.
“Ur is the birthplace of the prophet of Ibrahim and this is mentioned in the Torah and the Gospels, and for this reason all religions consider him their spiritual father.
“Therefore, a visit to his native country is considered one of the most important religious rites of the Christian pilgrimage,” he told Al Jazeera.
Surveys conducted by al-Hamdani and American archaeologists suggest that there are 15,000 archaeological sites in Iraq.
“In Nasiriya alone there are about 1,200 archaeological sites, which is equivalent to all the antiquities of France and Italy combined,” he said.
Pope Francis’s historic visit aims to bolster the morale of Iraq’s beleaguered Christian minority, which has declined in recent years amid wars and persecution, and to encourage religious coexistence between Muslims, Christians and other minorities.
“The politicians must promote the spirit of fraternal solidarity,” the Pope said Friday.
“There is corruption, abuse of power, that’s not the way. At the same time, you have to think about justice, transparency, to strengthen certain values, so that credibility can grow so that everyone, especially the young, can have hope for the future. “
The complex next to the Ziggurat is said to date from about 1900 BC [Asaad Mohammed/Al Jazeera]