Thousands of years old archaeological sites in Iraq are exposed to great damage due to factors resulting from climate change, such as sand storms and increased salinity, in a country that "suffers more than others and works less" to confront this phenomenon.

Iraqi archaeologist Aqeel al-Mansrawi speaks while standing on top of sand that almost completely covers one of the archaeological sites, and contemplates the antiquities around it dating back more than four thousand years, saying, "Umm al-Aqarib is in fact one of the most important Sumerian cities in southern Mesopotamia," referring to It "was enjoying a distinguished role during the third millennium BC."

Umm al-Aqrab, which brings together many temples, including the Sumerian god Sharaa, on a desert land of five square kilometers in southern Iraq, reached its peak in 2350 BC.

During their missions, archaeologists discovered canals, pottery pieces, discs, tablets... and vital pieces that tell the history of the Sumerians.

The site of Umm al-Aqrab today suffers from indirect effects caused by climate change, including the increasing sand storms in Iraq, in addition to the frequent looting of the site, as is the case with other sites that lack good protection.

More than ten sandstorms swept Iraq during the year 2022, according to a tally prepared by Agence France-Presse.

Al-Mansrawy points out that "moving sands began to creep, covering large parts of the" Umm al-Aqrab" site, in a phenomenon that has been going on for "ten years."

In order to show the stone that forms the facade of a temple, the archaeologist must first of all remove the sand.

According to him, "shifting sands, with large quantities creeping over this site, will probably cover, during the next ten years, 80 to 90% of these archaeological sites" in southern Iraq.

"(Future) archaeological missions will have to do more" to clean the land before excavations begin, he continues.

Jaafar Al-Jawthari, a professor of archeology at the University of Al-Qadisiyah, says that the winds are currently "full of larger quantities of dust" and "carry impurities from the earth, especially sand and silt, which leads to the erosion of ancient buildings."

He points out that the problem lies in drier winters and increasingly hot summers, with temperatures exceeding 50 degrees Celsius, which leads to "weakening and fragmenting the soil due to the lack of vegetation cover."

The other factor is salinity, which constitutes the second enemy of archaeological sites, and is due to the “very dry” environment, according to Mark Al-Taweel, a professor of Near Eastern Archeology at UCL University in London, saying when “water evaporates very quickly, it does not Only salt remains.

And the accumulation of large quantities of salts eats everything.

Iraq is one of the five most affected countries in the world by some tangible effects of climate change, foremost of which are long periods of drought, according to United Nations reports.

This disastrous phenomenon appears evident in Iraq's two legendary rivers, the Tigris and Euphrates, which are the main source of irrigation for the majority of this country's farmers, but today they have become streams of scarce water.

Although the issue is largely related to the lack of rain, the country's authorities condemn the construction of dams by its neighbors, Turkey and Iran, at the headwaters of the two rivers, because this step represents a major factor in limiting the flow of water, according to Baghdad.

Al-Jawthari says that Al-Iraqi has the "worst hydraulic management", dating back to the Sumerian and Akkadian eras and continuing to this day, in which farmers depend on irrigation by immersion, which consumes huge amounts of water and causes great losses.

Hence, the water shortage is gradually driving farmers and herders to migrate to the cities in order to survive.

As a result, "after farmers abandon their lands, the soil becomes more vulnerable to the winds," which carries sand and silt with it, according to Professor Aljawthuri.

The former President of the Republic of Iraq, Barham Salih, warned at the end of 2021 that "39 percent of Iraqi lands will be affected by desertification," a percentage that could increase.

Here, a solution must be sought to save Iraq's archaeological heritage, as this country suffers from rampant corruption in all its institutions, a third of its population lives in poverty and its archaeological sites are neglected, despite its enormous oil wealth.

The director of antiquities in Dhi Qar Governorate, where Umm al-Aqrab is located, Shamel Ibrahim, acknowledges that the archaeological sites are "more vulnerable to erosion and winds than others due to desertification, drought and climate change, especially during these years when Iraq faced water shortages, lack of rain and drought."

At the same time, he affirms that the Iraqi government is working to control the sandy areas that are blown by the wind, by afforestation of these areas and the establishment of a "green belt" represented by planting trees at a cost of five billion dinars (about 3 million and 800 thousand dollars).

Despite this, Al-Jawthari questions the effectiveness of these initiatives, because preserving vegetation "requires large amounts of water," adding, "We are the country that suffers the most and works the least" to face the effects of climate change.