UNESCO lists Iraq’s marshlands as a World Heritage site

UNESCO has declared that the marshlands of southern Iraq as a world heritage site, describing it as “unique.”

The marshlands, once devastated by the Saddam Hussein regime following the 1991 Persian Gulf War, are “unique”, UNESCO says, “as one of the world’s largest inland delta systems, in an extremely hot and arid environment.”

It also said that the marshes consist of, “seven sites: three archaeological sites and four wetland marsh areas in southern Iraq.”

“The archaeological cities or Uruk and Ur and the Tell Eridu archaeological site form part of the remains of the Sumerian cities and settlements that developed in southern Mesopotamia between the 4th and 3rd millennium BCE,” UNESCO explained.

Saddam Hussein drained the wetlands, irreparably damaging large parts of them, to prevent his armed Shiite opponents from hiding in them. When he was deposed by the Anglo-American-led intervention in 2003 parts of the marshes were restored.

Since 2003 Iraq hoped that UNESCO would list the marshes as a World Heritage site and accordingly welcomed its decision.

In a reference to Islamic States’ (ISIS) destruction of Iraq’s cultural heritage Iraq’s Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi declared that Iraq will persevere “despite the destruction and demolition of Iraqi heritage and antiquities by barbaric terrorist groups.”