The Ziggurat of Ur, sometimes called the 'Great Ziggurat of Ur' is a Neo-Sumerian ziggurat which is located in the city of Ur near Nasiriyah. Photo by Spc. Chastity Boykin

Among all of the construction that has been undertaken to rebuild the economy of Iraq, one project that was started over 4,000 years ago may hold the keys to the financial future as the site is reframed as a tourist attraction.

In the desert sands outside of Nasiriyah in Dhi Qar province, the ancient Ziggurat of Ur stands as a testament to the craftsmanship and hard work of its builders.

“To think of the amount of effort required to build the temple over four-thousand years ago and the sense of community and spirituality required to organize a project of this magnitude is overwhelming,” said Maj. Brian North

North, who is the executive officer of the 3rd BSTB, 3rd Advise and Assist Brigade, 4th Infantry Division, said that the architecture and the sheer size of the monument is something that the people of Dhi Qar take pride in as part of their continued legacy stretching from millennia ago to the present day.

“Those ties to the past are important,” said North.

The Ziggurat is made of a three-layered, solid mass of mud and brick with no chambers, said Mike Francis Dhaif Muhsen, Ziggurat curator and tour guide.

“The lower layer is from the original construction by Ur Nammu, while the two upper layers were restored during the Neo-Babylonia era,” said Muhsen, who hails from nearby Tallil, Iraq.

Also found at the site are examples of cuneiform, one of the earliest forms of writing. The markings can still be seen on bricks that lay among the ruins of the city of Ur, along with one of the oldest surviving archways. Still more archeological treasures are thought to lie just beneath the surface as only 20 percent of the complex is believed to have been excavated.

The possibility of even more discoveries there has led to the site being seen as a major tourist attraction in the region, with the potential to bring in tourist dollars to the area.

But after weathering thousands of summers in the hostile environment of Mesopotamia, a new hazard threatens to rain destruction upon what remains of the site.

Insurgent rocket attacks launched against nearby Camp Adder have come dangerously close to damaging the Ziggurat along with the other structures that stand nearby. The recent explosions and impacts in the surrounding area may have already done irreparable harm to what had yet to be uncovered.

Furthermore, the continued threat of attacks has harmed the local economy by keep visitors, and their cash, away.

How the locals handle the security situation in the region will undoubtedly affect whether or not the region will see a rebirth in their fortunes, economic or otherwise. Bringing peace to the area after years of conflict would be another monumental achievement in the long and resilient legacy of Iraqi people’s ability to rebuild.

“Walking through the ruins,” said North, “you can clearly get a sense of the pride Iraqis have in their history.”

DVIDS
Story by Spc. Chastity Boykin

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is improving quality of life and the environment here through the renovation of the Nasiriyah Meat Processing Plant.

According to USACE Project Engineer Greg Croon, prior to rehabbing, the butchers could only process a few animals each day due to the poor conditions of the plant.

“Most processing is taking place at various sites inside the township which is outside of any controlled health and environmental framework,” Croon said. “Local legislation requires animal butchering only inside the facility. However, as the old facility was so neglected and rundown, there was no feasible ground for the municipal authorities to enforce this law.”

Croon added that if no action was taken to provide an appropriate processing environment, the present conditions may lead to serious health hazards for the urban population.

The U.S. Department of State’s Dhi Qar Provincial Reconstruction Team recommended a total rehab of the old facility. “The rehabilitation of the processing plant will allow healthy meat processing procedures for the township of Nasiriyah and neighboring villages,” said Dhi Qar PRT Agricultural Advisor, Giuliano Masini.

“This will reflect positively not only on the overall health environment of the urban area but should increase revenues generated by improved storage, increased meat processing and handling capacity and higher quality standards.”

To alleviate the unhealthy conditions, the USACE’s Iraqi contractor, Al-Rafdain Company, is also installing new, prefabricated ancillary buildings for meat by-products processing, meat chillers, construction of a waste treatment unit and a new water supply system, supply of processing equipment and rehabilitation of some features inside the main processing hall at a cost of $2.5 million.

Training on handling and maintenance of the new equipment is being provided as part of the supply contract. “This is a key point to the success of the enterprise,” Masini said.

It is estimated that given the high demand of meat and the increasing urban population, the plant will generate revenues that will cover the operation, maintenance and financial costs. However, stressed Masini, the city must work hard on a good management plan, appoint a qualified administrator and skilled technical persons to run this renewed facility with modern business methods.

As an added benefit, the newly rehabilitated plant is expected to employ about 120 workers daily. “The plant will grow from 20 to 65 butchers, at least twice as many will be operating in the rehabilitated premises and other jobs will be created downstream,” said Masini.

MNF-I

1st Lt. Devens Vogt, Civil Capacity officer for 14th Engineer Battalion, guides local Dhi Qar politicians and Provincial Council members on a tour of the Nasiriyah Tree Nursery during its opening ceremony, March 26. The nursery has two greenhouses and a fenced-off area for growing trees. Photo by Pfc. Rebekah Lampman

Baseel Ali, Deputy Director of Agriculture for the Dhi Qar province, cut a red ribbon at the Nasiriyah Tree Nursery to officially open the facility March 26.

Just four months earlier, this location was an empty dirt and gravel lot. Today, it consists of two greenhouses used for planting vegetables and a fenced-off area for growing trees.

“This will support our province and will greatly benefit us,” said the Director of Agriculture, Abdul Salih. “We thank the Americans for everything they’ve done.”

The nursery can produce up to 50,000 vegetable and 4,000 tree seedlings each year. Once these seedlings reach their maximum growth, they’re sold to local farmers.

“This is an incredibly rewarding position,” said 1st Lt. Devens Vogt, civil capacity officer for 14th Engineer Battalion. “I feel it is a rare opportunity to be able to directly affect hundreds of thousands of people’s lives on a daily basis.”

The 14th Eng. Bn. partnered with 555th Eng. Bn. to oversee the project, which was funded by the Commander’s Emergency Response Program, a U.S. government-funded incentive to provide assistance to the Iraqis.

The two engineer battalions are also teaming up to build bee and date farms to produce honey and fruit next to the nursery.

“This is another way we can leave a proud and lasting impression,” said Vogt. “We have to be able to foster a credible relationship with our young Iraqi construction engineers.”

For the citizens of Nasiriyah, the nursery means more than just planting trees and vegetables; they’re planting the hope of a better life in southern Iraq.

DVIDS

U.S. Army vehicles sit ready at Combat Outpost al-Gharraf, Iraq. The outpost's motor pool recently received a new gravel surface. U.S. Army photo by 1st Lt. Stephen Harmon

Combat Outpost al-Gharraf, formerly named Joint Security Station Jenkins, signifies the transition from coalition to Iraqi control that has swept across the country.

The new U.S.-Iraq security agreement has pushed the Iraqi security forces into the forefront of all operations across the 1st Cavalry Division’s 4th Brigade Combat Team area of responsibility, as well as throughout Iraq.

The brigade covers Iraq’s Dhi Qar, Maysan and Muthanna provinces. Company A, 2nd Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment, also known as the “Thunder Horse” Battalion, is located here along with soldiers of the 10th Iraqi Army Division’s 2nd Battalion, 40th Brigade.

Combat Outpost al-Gharraf is situated between the cities of Ash Shatrah and Gharraf, allowing the U.S. troops to work with the Iraqi military without disturbing the citizens of nearby Nasiriyah. The ability of Iraqi and American servicemembers to visit local religious and political leaders enhances their ability to protect the Iraqi citizens, officials said.

Thunder Horse soldiers train both Iraqi soldiers and policemen here while conducting checkpoint operations and Iraqi government facility assessments.

“The [outpost] is home to me,” Army Sgt. Marcus DeAntoni of Belleville, Ill., said. “Everything is nearby, and this base has helped improve our partnership with the Iraqis.”

When the U.S. regiment first arrived at the security station, it had two sinks with running water and no showers or air conditioning in the middle of 130-degree summer days. The troops washed their clothes by hand and built observation posts while performing operations with their Iraqi counterparts every day.

“What we have done with limited supplies has shown me that American soldiers still have what it takes to get the job done, no matter what the mission,” said Army Pfc. Shane Darst, a Thunder Horse soldier and native of Marengo, Ohio.

The outpost now has climate-controlled rooms, a large-screen television, a dining facility that serves one hot meal daily, an Internet café, an improved motor pool, washing machines and dryers, a rifle range and new latrines.

Along with performing daily training with their American counterparts, the Iraqi troopers began to establish better living habits and a deeper sense of pride in their service.

“The language of soldiering is the same,” Lt. Col. Abdullah, the Iraqi battalion commander, said. “We perform the same tasks, whether Iraqi or American. Therefore, communication is easy.”

The Iraqi troops have taught the Thunder Horse Battalion’s soldiers how to better identify criminals, and have offered valuable knowledge about the native customs and traditions of the Dhi Qar province.

Combat Outpost al-Gharraf originally was named Joint Security Station Jenkins by the Thunder Horse Battalion soldiers in honor of Army Staff Sgt. Kenneth A. Jenkins, a member of the 4th Infantry Division’s 4th Brigade Combat Team. The unit reflagged as the 1st Cavalry Division’s 4th Brigade Combat Team after Jenkins was killed in Baghdad on Aug. 12, 2006.

A picture of Jenkins sits next to the unit’s guidon as a constant reminder of the sacrifices he and other U.S. soldiers have made while assisting the Iraqi people. The Thunder Horse unit officials said they hope the change in the base’s name is a sign of progress in the region.

DoD
By Army 1st Lt. Stephen Harmon, 1st Cavalry Division’s 4th Brigade Combat Team
Special to American Forces Press Service