World Heritage Identification Number: 1481
World Heritage since: 2016
Category: Mixed Cultural Heritage and Natural Heritage
WHE Type: Natural Landscapes & Geographic Features
Transboundary Heritage: No
Endangered Heritage: No
Country: 🇮🇶 Iraq
Continent: Asia
UNESCO World Region: Arab States
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The Ahwar of Southern Iraq: A Unique Blend of History and Biodiversity
The Ahwar of Southern Iraq, officially recognized as "The Ahwar of Southern Iraq: Refuge of Biodiversity and the Relict Landscape of the Mesopotamian Cities," is a remarkable UNESCO World Heritage Site situated in the south of Iraq. This designation encompasses seven distinct components, including three archaeological sites and four wetland marsh areas.
More to come…UNESCO Description of the World Heritage Site
The Ahwar is made up of seven components: three archaeological sites and four wetland marsh areas in southern Iraq. The archaeological cities of Uruk and Ur and the Tell Eridu archaeological site form part of the remains of the Sumerian cities and settlements that developed in southern Mesopotamia between the 4th and the 3rd millennium BCE in the marshy delta of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. The Ahwar of Southern Iraq – also known as the Iraqi Marshlands – are unique, as one of the world’s largest inland delta systems, in an extremely hot and arid environment.
Encyclopedia Record: Ahwar of Southern Iraq
The Ahwar of Southern Iraq: Refuge of Biodiversity and the Relict Landscape of the Mesopotamian Cities is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Southern Iraq.Additional Site Details
Area: 211,544 hectares
Number of Components: 7
(v) — Outstanding example of traditional human settlement
(ix) — Outstanding example representing ecological and biological processes
(x) — Contains most important habitats for biodiversity
Coordinates: 31.5622222222 , 47.6577777778
IUCN World Heritage Outlook
The 2025 Conservation Outlook on The Ahwar of Southern Iraq: Refuge of Biodiversity and the Relict Landscape of the Mesopotamian Cities reports the following assessment:
Source: International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) · View assessment
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© M.Lubinski from Iraq,USA., CC BY-SA 2.0 Resized from original. (This derivative is under the same CC BY-SA license.)
