Climate In Baghdad Iraq

At Ur, experts stress conservation over excavation

UR, Iraq — Standing before the imposing ziggurat which was once part of a temple complex at the Sumerian capital of Ur, Iraqi archaeologist Abdelamir Hamdani worried about the natural elements that are eating away at one of the wonders of Mesopotamia.

"Is there anybody thinking about preserving these monuments?" asked the doctoral student from New York's Stony Brook University who is one of the leaders of a nascent project to conserve the few unearthed remains of ancient Mesopotamia, one of the cradles of civilisation.

The buried treasures of Ur still beckon foreign archaeologists who have begun cautiously returning to Iraq, but experts like Hamdani say that preserving the sites is more urgent than digging for more.

Ur, the Biblical birthplace of Abraham, and which more than 4,000 years ago was the capital of a prosperous empire ruling over Mesopotamia, is believed to have so far relinquished only a fraction of its buried antiquities.

"Everybody likes the idea of excavations. People say we have to find ancient treasures," said Hamdani, who is involved in a joint project between Baghdad and a US non-governmental organisation to map and restore the site.

"There are treasures right under our feet," said Hamdani, referring to some of the riches that during the last large excavations decades ago were pulled out of the sand and carted off to museums in Iraq and abroad.

"But why cram these treasures into museums if the (unearthed) monuments are not preserved?" he asked rhetorically.

There have been no major excavations at Ur, which lies on the outskirts of the modern city of Nasiriyah about 300 kilometres (185 miles) south of Baghdad, since digs funded by the British Museum and the University of Pennsylvania in the 1920s and 1930s. The site has so far relinquished only about 10 percent of its riches, experts say.

British archaeologist Charles Leonard Woolley found some of the greatest treasures of antiquity at Ur, including a golden dagger encrusted with lapis lazuli, an intricately carved golden statue of a ram caught in a thicket, a lyre decorated with a bull's head and the gold headdress of a Sumerian queen.

But for the past half-century nothing has been done to preserve the sites that yielded those finds.

Ur of the Chaldees, as it is mentioned in the Bible, was one of the great urban centres of the Sumerian civilisation of southern Iraq and remained an important city until its conquest by Alexander the Great a few centuries before Christ.

Iraq, Iran & Baghdad Temperature and Climate Review - Music Gear

Basra, Iraq

In Basra, Iraq the average temperature is 24.38C (75.875F). 7.00C (44.60F) is the lowest monthly average low temperature (occurring in January) while 41.00C (105.80F) is the highest monthly average high temperature which occurs in August. The average temperature range is therefore 21.50C (70.70F). Wet weather in Basra accumulates so that there is a total average rainfall of 161.00mm (6.34in) per annum. Divided over the year this gives an average monthly rainfall of 13.42mm (0.53in). December is the month with most precipitation when 34mm (1.34in) of rain falls over a period of 6 days while in June, July, August, September only 0mm (0.00in) of rain falls over days. Basra’s weather is effected by 31 days per year with greater than 0.1mm (0.004in) of rainfall. Relative humidity at Basra averages 60.58333333% over the year. 46% is the lowest average monthly relative humidity which occurs in September and 81% is the highest average monthly relative humidity which occurs in January. Basra’s weather is effected by 3319 hours of sunshine per year which is an average of 9.09 hours per day. The range of sunlight hours is from an average of 7.2 per day in January to 11.3 per day in June. There is further information about the weather in Iraq by visiting the world climate graphs site. Free Basra climate graphs are available for you to add to your webpages.

Bushehr, Iran

In Bushehr, Iran the average temperature is 24.46C (76.025F). 10.00C (50.00F) is the lowest monthly average low temperature (occurring in January) while 39.00C (102.20F) is the highest monthly average high temperature which occurs in July & August. The average temperature range is therefore 19.00C (66.20F). Wet weather in Bushehr, Iran accumulates so that there is a total average rainfall of 231.00mm (9.09in) per annum. Divided over the year this gives an average monthly rainfall of 19.25mm (0.76in). December is the month with most precipitation when 73mm (2.87in) of rain falls over a period of 5 days while in June, July, August, September only 0mm (0.00in) of rain falls over days. Iran’s weather is effected by 21 days per year with greater than 0.1mm (0.004in) of rainfall. Relative humidity at Bushehr averages 65.83333333% over the year. 59% is the lowest average monthly relative humidity which occurs in May and 76% is the highest average monthly relative humidity which occurs in January. There is further information about the Iran temperature on the excellent linked to website. Free Iran climate graphs are available for you to add to your webpages.

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