Baghdad - The ancient Iraqi city of Ur is preparing celebrations to mark the withdrawal of US troops from the town, an Iraqi newspaper reported Tuesday.

Abdel-Amir al-Hamadani, director of archaeology in nearby Nassriya, told Iraq's independent al-Mada newspaper that the town, about 100 kilometres south of Baghdad, will mark the event with plays, puppet shows and exhibitions celebrating the ancient Sumerian civilisation that once thrived there.

According to the terms of a US-Iraqi agreement governing the presence of US troops in the country, US forces will withdraw from Iraqi cities and towns by the end of June, and from the rest of the country by 2011.

The 5,000-year-old city is believed to be the birthplace of the biblical figure Abraham, and is home to a wealth of temples from the Sumerian and Babylonian dynasties that thrived in modern Iraq some 4,000 years ago. (dpa)