Courtesy Photo | Capt. Steven Wallace, executive officer, 40th Quartermaster Company, 110th Combat...... read more read more
By 1st Lt. Steven Wallace
CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE ADDER, Iraq – Soldiers from the 40th Quartermaster Company, 110th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 224th Special Troops Battalion, 224th Sustainment Brigade, 103rd Sustainment Command (Expeditionary), visited the Ziggurat of Ur June 30 at the outskirts of Tallil, Iraq.
Their visit to the Ziggurat gave the Soldiers an understanding of the culture and history of one of the oldest (2,100 B.C.) historical structures in Iraq.
Dhiaf Mahsen, third generation curator for the Ziggurat, and a native of Tallil, Iraq, led the Soldiers on the tour around the historical sites.
“Treasures found among the sites are currently in a British museum and it helps for two reasons: It is protected and it shows our history and culture to those that come from all over the world to visit the museum,” Mahsen said. “The Ziggurat of Ur is made of a three-layered solid mass of mud brick, completely solid with no chambers, which was a shrine to the moon god Nanna. The lower layer is from the original construction by Ur-Nammu, while the two upper layers were restored during the Neo-Babylonian era.”
The Soldiers commented on their visit to the historical site.
“Today at the Ziggurat wasn’t a really hot day, so we took our time visiting the site,” said Spc. Kriztine Mancilla, unit operations clerk, 40th QM Company, and a native of Cavite, Philippines. “It’s amazing how advanced the structure of the Ziggurat was. Having a monument built with a drainage system, so water doesn’t damage it, and thanks to that, I am able to witness something that has been standing for thousands of years.”
Sgt. Dennis O’Connor, chemical biological radiological and nuclear non-commissioned officer-in-charge, 40th QM Company, and a native of Boston, Mass., said the Ziggurat is something that everyone should see first-hand.
“It’s [Ziggurat] an awesome structure.” O’Connor said. “It’s something one must experience. It’s unfortunate everyone cannot see it, so I consider myself privileged to have walked the grounds where the prophet Abraham once lived.”
| Date Taken: | 06.30.2010 |
| Date Posted: | 07.28.2010 11:43 |
| Story ID: | 53544 |
| Location: | CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE ADDER, IQ |
| Web Views: | 104 |
| Downloads: | 67 |
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