Iraq hopes to lure Christian pilgrims with new church in ancient Ur

Construction workers carry out cement work on the outer courtyard of the "Ibrahim Al-Khalil" church, which is the first church built an in effort to attract tourists and Christian visitors to the anicent city, after the Pope's visit to Ur in 2021, Iraq, March 3, 2024. REUTERS/Forqan Salam

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - The bell of a new church built near Iraq's ancient city of Ur chimed for the first time last week as part of a push to lure back pilgrims to a country that is home to one of the world's oldest Christian communities.

The church is part of a complex that rises from a desert plain in the shadow of the pyramid-shaped Ziggurat of Ur, a city traditionally believed to be the birthplace of the Prophet Abraham that was visited by Pope Francis three years ago.