Iraq reopens historic mosque in Mosul after 8 years
- Last updated: September 2, 2025 | 11:30
Iraq’s prime minister presided over the official reopening of the historic Al-Nuri Grand Mosque and its leaning minaret in the heart of Mosul’s Old City Monday, eight years after the mosque was destroyed by extremists from the Daesh group.
For some 850 years, the leaning minaret of the mosque stood as an iconic landmark. In 2014, Daesh leader Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi declared the so-called “caliphate” there by delivering a Friday sermon and leading prayers.
The Daesh group later destroyed the mosque by detonating explosives inside the structures as it faced defeat in a battle with Iraqi military forces for control of the city in 2017.
UNESCO, the UN’s scientific, educational and cultural organization, worked alongside Iraqi heritage and Sunni religious authorities to reconstruct the minaret using traditional techniques and materials salvaged from the rubble.
UNESCO raised $115 million for the reconstruction project, with large shares coming from the United Arab Emirates and the European Union.
Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani said in a statement that the reconstruction of the mosque “will remain a milestone, reminding all enemies of the heroism of Iraqis, their defense of their land, and their rebuilding of everything destroyed by those who want to obscure the truth.”
“We will continue our support for culture, and efforts to highlight Iraqi antiquities, as a social necessity, a gateway to our country for the world, an opportunity for sustainable development, and a space for youth to innovate,” he said.
At its peak, Daesh ruled an area half the size of the United Kingdom in Iraq and Syria and was notorious for its brutality. It beheaded civilians and enslaved and raped thousands of women from the Yazidi community, one of Iraq’s oldest religious minorities.
In addition to the mosque, war-damaged churches were rebuilt as part of the reconstruction project, aiming to preserve the heritage of the city’s shrinking Christian population. Sudani said the city of Mosul embraces all of its communities and “embodies all the characteristics of Iraq’s diverse society.”
Associated Press