Today the mudbrick ruins of Uruk, Ur and Eridu are dominated by the remains of ziggurats which still stand within the arid but striking landscape of the desiccated alluvial plain. The main marshes of the Ahwar as we know them today were formed during this period around 3,000 years ago. The East and West Hammar Marshes components embrace a particular ecological phenomenon in contrast to the other components. Layers of sedimentation protected the remains of Uruk, Ur and Eridu until the 20th century when archaeological excavations exposed several buildings anew. Uruk, Ur and Eridu are protected by the Antiquities and Heritage Law no.