Pope's visit to Iraqi Ziggurat to bring together several faiths - and hopefully lure more visitors

FILE PHOTO: Pope Francis leads Catholics into Lent with the Ash Wednesday mass in St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, February 17, 2021. REUTERS/Guglielmo Mangiapane/Pool/File Photo

BAGHADAD (Reuters) - Pope Francis is due to hold an inter-religious prayer service at the ancient Mesopotamian site of Ur when he visits Iraq next week - an event local archeologists hope will draw renewed attention to the place revered as the birthplace of Abraham.

Popular with Western visitors in the 1970s and 1980s, Ur is scarcely visited today after decades of war and political instability shattered Iraq's international tourism industry. The coronavirus crisis now also keeps local tourists away.