Nasiriya, Iraq – It is where the wheel was invented, the Hamurabi Code – or the rule of law – was established for the first time and where the oil was first burned as an energy source.
It is the former Iraqi city of Ur – located in the province of Dhi Qar, 300 km (200 miles) south of the capital Baghdad – and where Pope Francis plans to visit during his historic three-day trip to the country.
More than 6,000 years ago, Ur emerged as one of the first major urban centers in the world and centuries later became the center of the global economy of the time, with its factories that mass-produced woolen carpets and clothes for export in Mesopotamia and abroad .
Ur – also called Tal al-Muqayer – was considered one of the most important archaeological sites in history. 
The pontiff is expected to host an interfaith meeting in Ur on Saturday.
Dhi Qar is the heart of the ancient Sumerian Iraqi civilization and includes the ruins of Ur, Eridu, Lagash, Gisu, Umma and Bad-tibira, or the Copper Workers Wall.
In July 2016, UNESCO placed Ur on the World Heritage list, in addition to the marshes of southern Iraq and other places like Eridu and Al-Warka.
During his visit to Iraq, Pope Francis will visit Ur after encounters with politicians, religious figures and archaeological sites in the cities of Najaf, Erbil, Mosul and the capital Baghdad.
The stairs leading to the top of the Ziggurat temple [Asaad Mohammed/Al Jazeera]A life of luxury
Ur is one of several cities built by the Sumerians that made it the capital of their state. When they settled in southern Iraq around 3,500 BC, they walled it and built markets, workshops and agricultural villages inside. This led to the development of primary commercial transport routes with other cities and nations at the time.
Excavations in the early 1900s in Ur indicated that its people lived a life of luxury while the city prospered in the cultivation and trade of wheat and barley. Excavations continue today, as there are treasures yet to be discovered that will provide more information about one of the first progressive cities in the world.
For decades, archaeological excavations have been banned because of conflicts 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 that included important ancient texts,” Mustafa al-Hussaini, an archaeologist from Nasiriya, told Al Jazeera.
“When we studied the texts helping American University at Stony Brook, we found that these tablets are a miniature library. I found out about 45 of them, ”he said.
The Sumerians developed irrigation and grain cultivation systems, as well as inventing the cuneiform script used in ancient Mesopotamia and Persia. They also developed an algorithm on which time measurement is still based today.
Sumerian society recognized the mother’s leadership role in the family, and women imposed a high level of respect. Another cultural legacy of the Sumerian civilization was poetry and ceramics.
Tourists in front of the Zigurate temple in the ancient city of Ur [Asaad Mohammed/Al Jazeera]Oldest pyramid
British archaeologist Sir Leonard Woolley, who dug in Ur in 1922, discovered a royal tomb that corresponds to the pharaohs in the pyramids of Giza, Egypt.
The Sumerians were interested in building mud and asphalt temples. An ancient Ziggurat, or compound with a terrace, still exists in Ur and is considered one of the oldest pyramids of Mesopotamian civilization.
The complex near the Ziggurat is said to date back to around 1900 BC and was once the home of the Prophet Ibrahim, known as Abraham by Christians and Jews.
Amer Abdulrazzaq, head of the Nasiriyah Museum of Civilization, explained why Ur is considered so important to Christians, Jews and Muslims.
“Ur is the hometown of the Prophet of Ibrahim and this is mentioned in the Torah and in the Gospels, and for this reason, all religions regard him as his spiritual father.
“Therefore, visiting the land where he was born is considered one of the most important religious rites of the Christian pilgrimage,” he told Al Jazeera.
Research by al-Hamdani and American archaeologists suggests that there are 15,000 archaeological sites across 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’ historic visit aims to boost the morale of the beleaguered Christian minority in Iraq, which has declined in recent years amid wars and persecution, and to encourage religious coexistence among Muslims, Christians and other minorities.
“Politicians need to promote the spirit of fraternal solidarity,” said the pontiff on Friday.
“There is corruption, abuse of power, that is not the way. At the same time, it is necessary to think about justice, transparency, and the strengthening of certain values, this is how credibility can grow so that everyone, especially young people, has hope for the future ”.
The complex near the Ziggurat is said to date back to around 1900 BC [Asaad Mohammed/Al Jazeera]