Aïn Tamer (Iraq) (AFP)

In the desert, one of the oldest churches in the world is crumbling: after the pope's arrival, the Iraqis dreamed of tourists and tour operator buses, but in a country battered by years of war, the remains disappear in indifference.

In Aïn Tamer, southwest of Baghdad, all that remains of the Al Aqiser church, more than 1,500 years old, are half-collapsed red earthen walls.

For archaeologist Zahed Mohammed, this dilapidation is explained by "the climatic conditions, the fact that this place was transformed into a field of military fire under Saddam Hussein and by the absence of regular renovations".

"Such an interview requires a lot of money but we only receive meager envelopes", retorts Raëd Fadhel, mayor of Aïn Tamer.

60 kilometers further east, the Shiite shrines of Kerbala attract millions of pilgrims every year.

As many potential visitors for Mesopotamian cities, ancient churches and other Babylonian "ziggurat", if the State maintained and ensured the publicity of these places, lament residents and officials.

In fact, assures AFP Abdallah al-Jlihaoui, who lives in the neighboring province of Diwaniya, "foreigners are more concerned with our heritage than we".

But foreigners, it has been a long time since Diwaniya saw any.

- Vital investments -

"Until the 1980s, an American university was rummaging here. Our parents and grandparents worked in these sites, but everything stopped" with the international embargo decreed in 1991 against Saddam Hussein's regime, sighs -he.

Governor Zouheir al-Chaalane identifies more than 2,000 sites and sees in each of them a possibility of initiating the economic take-off that the Iraqis are still waiting for almost 20 years after the American invasion which promised democracy and prosperity.

Among these sites is Nippur, which, with its temples, libraries and palaces, was 7,000 years ago one of the main religious centers of the Akkadians, and later the Babylonians.

"Investing in these sites would create jobs in our province where investment opportunities are rare," Mr. Chaalane told AFP.

The poverty rate doubled in Iraq in 2020, to 40%.

Like others, he saw a glimmer of hope in the arrival of an Italian archaeological mission earlier this year.

Then in that of Pope Francis, who crisscrossed Iraq, going in particular to Ur, the birthplace of Abraham near Diwaniya.

Enough to restore color to a heritage that has melted between theft, smuggling or demolitions by the jihadists who consider all forms of art heretical.

But even if new sites were brought to light or rehabilitated, "where would tourists go?" Asks Mr. Jlihaoui.

"There is nothing planned for them: the road has not been paved since the 80s, the electric poles date from the 70s", he lists in a country which suffers from shortages of current and of electricity. drinking water for decades.

- Climate emergency -

For Mohammed Taha, who lives in Kirkuk, in central Iraq, "neither the authorities, nor even private organizations do anything for heritage".

He cites as proof the "qechla", an Ottoman citadel with a once turquoise dome.

Today, mosaic tiles have fallen and entire sections of walls threaten to collapse.

The 3,000-year-old citadel is collapsing, further reducing its chances of remaining, with Nippur, on the tentative list to become a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The fault of the rains, dense and frequent in this mountainous region, assure the local authorities.

Everywhere in Iraq, one of the countries most threatened by climate change, the environmental issue is vital.

In the long term, the rampant desertification in the country - already 50% desert - threatens life.

It has already signed the death of Mesopotamian ruins and even more recent constructions.

"In the 60s, 70s and 80s, the ruins were protected by the green belt," Mr. Jlihaoui told AFP.

Trees that stood in the way of the wind have been burned, torn up by shells from repeated wars or cut down to make way for towns with anarchic construction.

The freshness brought by their foliage has disappeared, as have the dikes formed by their roots.

Temperatures have risen by a few degrees, which is bad for the inhabitants because above 50 degrees, sandstorms have multiplied and winter rains have become more dense.

So many attacks against ruins made of bricks.

Dust which after having made the Mesopotamian cities ... becomes dust again.

© 2021 AFP