Mosul's historic al-Nuri mosque and al-Hadba minaret rise again

After years of devastation following the occupation by the extremist group "Islamic State" (IS), historical buildings in the Iraqi city of Mosul, including churches and mosques, are gradually reopening. This reconstruction project, organized and funded by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco), began in 2017, a year after IS was defeated and driven out of the northern Iraqi city.

Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of UNESCO, attended the reopening celebration on Wednesday. Local artisans, residents, and representatives of all religious communities in Mosul also participated in the event. Mosul was once regarded as a symbol of tolerance and coexistence among different religious and ethnic communities in Iraq, but it was occupied by IS in 2014.

During its occupation, IS imposed its extremist ideology on the city, targeting minority groups and killing dissidents. Three years later, a US-backed coalition, along with Iraqi forces and affiliated militias, launched a fierce ground and air offensive to regain control of the city. The fiercest fighting was concentrated in the Old City, the last stronghold of IS militants.

Ali al-Baroodi, a photographer from Mosul, recalled the horrific scenes he witnessed when he first entered the area in the summer of 2017, shortly after the street fighting ended. He witnessed the al-Hadba minaret, also known as the "hunchback tower," which had been a symbol of Mosul for centuries, reduced to rubble.

Baroodi stated, "It was like a ghost town, with corpses everywhere, a nauseating smell, and a city and skyline without the al-Hadba minaret, a truly tragic sight. This was not the city we knew, but a deformation that we could not even imagine in our worst nightmares. After that, I was silent for days, lost my voice, and lost my mind."

The Old City of Mosul, located on the west bank of the Tigris River, suffered 80% destruction during the three-year IS occupation. Not only do churches, mosques, and old houses need to be restored, but also the community spirit of people who have long lived in relative harmony between religions and ethnicities needs to be rebuilt.

This massive reconstruction task began under the auspices of UNESCO, with a budget of $115 million (£93 million), which the organization managed to raise, mostly from the United Arab Emirates and the European Union. Dominican Father Olivier Poquillon returned to Mosul to help oversee the restoration of one of the key buildings, the Notre-Dame de l'Heure convent, known locally as al-Saa'a, which was built nearly 200 years ago.

Father Poquillon said, "We first tried to form a team, a team from the Old City of Mosul, made up of people of different faiths - Christians, Muslims working together." He stated that uniting the various communities was the biggest challenge and also the greatest achievement. "If you want to rebuild buildings, you must first rebuild trust. If you don't rebuild trust, rebuilding the walls of these buildings is meaningless because they will become targets for other communities."

The chief architect responsible for the entire project, including the restoration of 124 old houses and two particularly exquisite mansions, is Maria Rita Acetoso, who came to Mosul directly from UNESCO's restoration work in Afghanistan. She said, "This project shows that culture can also create jobs, can encourage skills development, and can also make participants feel that they are part of something meaningful." She hopes that reconstruction can restore hope and enable people to recover their cultural identity and memories.

Acetoso added, "I think this is especially important for the younger generation who have grown up in conflict and political instability." UNESCO stated that more than 1,300 local young people have received training in traditional skills, while creating approximately 6,000 new jobs. More than 100 classrooms in Mosul have been renovated, and thousands of historical artifacts have been recovered and cataloged from the ruins. Women account for 30% of the engineers involved in the reconstruction.

Eight years later, the bells of the al-Tahera Church are ringing again in Mosul, after the church's roof collapsed in 2017 due to severe damage during the IS occupation. Other major landmarks in Mosul have also been restored, including the twisted al-Hadba minaret, the Dominican al-Saa'a convent, and the Al-Nouri mosque complex. People have also been able to return to the houses that have been their families' homes for centuries.

A resident named Mustafa said, "My house was built in 1864, and unfortunately, it was partially destroyed during the liberation of Mosul and was uninhabitable, especially with my children. So I decided to move to my parents' house. I am very happy and excited to see my house rebuilt again."

Abdullah's family has also lived in a house in the Old City since the 19th century, when the area was a center for the wool trade, which is why he says their home is so precious to them. "After UNESCO rebuilt my house, I came back," he said. "I can't describe my feelings, because after seeing all the destruction that happened there, I thought I would never be able to come back and live there again."

The scars of the suffering endured by the people of Mosul have not yet healed, just as much of Iraq remains in a fragile state. But the sight of the Old City rising from the rubble represents hope for a better future, just as Ali al-Baroodi continues to document the evolution of his beloved home day after day. He said, "It's really like seeing a dead person resurrected in a very, very beautiful way, and that's the resurrection of the true spirit of this city."