Iraq is home to the ancient city of Ur, traditionally associated with Abraham.
Ur was an important Sumerian city in southern Mesopotamia, near the modern settlement of Nasiriyah. In antiquity it stood close to the Euphrates, although changes in the river’s course and the surrounding landscape have altered the area. The city became especially powerful during the Third Dynasty of Ur, around the twenty-first century BCE.
Its most famous surviving monument is the Great Ziggurat of Ur, a massive stepped temple platform dedicated to the moon god Nanna. Archaeologists also discovered royal tombs containing rich grave goods, including objects made of gold, lapis lazuli, and other valuable materials.
The biblical connection to Abraham comes from religious tradition, which identifies “Ur of the Chaldeans” with this city. Archaeological identification and interpretation of that tradition have been discussed by scholars. Ur should not be confused with Uruk, another major ancient Sumerian city in Iraq.