Kazem Finjan, Iraq’s Minister for Transport, told incredulous journalists in Dhi Qar, southern Iraq, that the world’s first airport was built there in around 5,000 BC, The New Arab reported.
The politician claimed ancient Sumerian people, members of one of Earth’s oldest known civilisations, used the airport for space exploration – and even discovered Pluto thousands of years before its official discovery in 1933.
The Sumerians lived in Mesopotamia, now southern Iraq, from 5500 to 4000 BC – creating aspects of early civilisation such as agriculture, an economy and trading.
In his bizarre speech, which was expected to introduce a new airport, Finjan also suggested that visitors from outer space offered the Sumerians a helping hand in developing their state-of-the-art technology.
He said: “There are probably not many people who know that the first airport was constructed 5,000 years before Christ.
“I invite those who doubt to read the book of the great Sumerian historian Zecharia Sitchin, or the books of Samuel Kramer including one entitled ‘History Begins At Sumer’ which speaks of the first airport constructed on Planet Earth, in al-Nasiriyah.
“The particularity of this place is that it remains the safest for the landing and takeoff of aircraft, due to favourable weather conditions.
“When the Sumerians settled on this land, they were aware of this and chose it specifically for their flights to other planets.”
According to Middle East Monitor, he also claimed “angels were all Sumerian” and “Sumerian spaceships used to launch from Earth to other planets”.
Finjan’s suggestion that ancient spaceships regularly visited Earth is shared by believers in the “Ancient Aliens” myth – which is centred around aliens helping early civilisations build incredible monuments such as the Pyramids.
Iraqi journalist Amer Al-Kubaisi wrote: “Can you believe that this imbecile is the current Iraqi transportation minister? I thank Allah for the blessing of a brain.”