Ziggurat of Ur: A highlight to a soldier’s tour in Iraq

Courtesy Photo | Sgt. Edward Mattey, a radio telephone operator and a Miami, Fla. native, Sgt. Maj. Scott Waterhouse, an operations non-commissioned officer and a Concord, Calif., native, and Spc. Ruby Uribe, a material management specialist and a Bakersfield, Calif., native, all with the 749th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 4th Sustainment Brigade, 103rd Sustainment Command (Expeditionary), stand inside an ancient tomb while on the Ziggurat of Ur tour recently near Contingency Operating Base Adder, Iraq. (Photo by: Spc. Danielle Lagunas-Valles)  

CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE ADDER, IRAQ

03.05.2011

Courtesy Story

4th Sustainment Brigade

By: Spc. Danielle Lagunas-Valles
749th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion

CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE ADDER, Iraq — While standing near the 6 Pazzi restaurant, one can see the ancient Ziggurat of Ur, near Contingency Operating Base Adder. Built in the 21st century BC, the Ziggurat of Ur is a famous location to visit for soldiers while on deployment in Iraq.

Spc. Ruby Uribe, a material management specialist in the support operations supply and services shop with the 749th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 4th Sustainment Brigade, 103rd Sustainment Command (Expeditionary), and Bakersfield, Calif., native, visited the historical site recently, and was in awe of its history.

“I was intrigued by the history behind these foundations and the state of the remaining structures despite how long they have been around,” said Uribe.

Uribe is on her first deployment and felt that going to see the Ziggurat would be a good experience to learn about something new. An Iraqi named Dhaif spoke during the tour about the history behind the multiple structures.

Dhaif is the third-generation historian from his family to give tours of the Ziggurat.

“The whole history was so interesting,” said Uribe. “What stood out to me the most was when he talked about the burial rituals and how they buried up to 70 people in one tomb. It’s so different than what our burial rituals are today. It makes you think about how much things have changed over time.”

The tour not only consists of seeing the famous Ziggurat, but also seeing the remains of the Prophet Abraham’s home. Abraham is the father of the Abrahamic religions.

“Abraham’s house was the best part of the tour,” added Uribe. “It’s amazing that the structure has been there for so long and it’s still standing; it was just a beautiful site.”

• Date Taken: 03.05.2011
• Date Posted: 03.13.2011 04:03
• Story ID: 66955
• Location: CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE ADDER, IQ