Sumer is derived from the Biblical Patriarch's name, Shem son of Noah. The Hamites and others who lived there couldn't pronounce "Shem-er" so they called it "Shinar" and "Sumer". Supposedly Shem lived long enough to kill their first king, Nimrod the rampant pedophile (aka, Marduk, etc.).
The foundation of the Tower of Babel is still standing there, incomplete.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=UM82qxxskZE