The restoration of the great Al-Nouri mosque in Mosul “gives its identity” to the Iraqi city

The emblematic minaret leaning al-Hadba is again in Mosul, a symbol of the heritage of the heritage of the Iraqi metropolis, reduced in ruins during the fights against the jihadists of the Islamic State group which had made the city their bastion. The minaret is part of the historic al-vouri mosque, where the ex-head of the EI group, Abu Bakr al-Bagdadi, had proclaimed in July 2014 his « caliphate »plunging whole sections of Iraq and Syria in horror.

Al-Nouri, and his minaret al-Hadba, are among the monuments restored with the support of UNESCO, which has been working for the rehabilitation of the heritage of the big city in northern Iraq for five years. The al-Hadba minaret, nicknamed « The hunchbacge »d’« Today is a consistent copy of what it was, built with the same bricks »says Abdallah Mahmoud, of the Iraqi Antiquity Department. « Al-Hadba is our identity. Restore it is to give back your identity to the city. »

Its inclination was preserved at 160 cm, exactly as in the 1960s. But its foundations were reinforced to prevent progressive sagging observed since its construction in the 12th century. « The interior of the minaret required 96,000 new bricks, but we reused 26,000 old ones for the outside »explains Abdallah Mahmoud.

Two days before the end of the work, hundreds of workers were still acting around the Al-Nouri mosque, refining columns, dome and courtyard. The Mihrab, a niche indicating the direction of Mecca to the faithful, was largely restored with its original stones, but the Minbar, from where the Imam pronounces his preaching, lost most of his original components.

« Bring life back »

Imad Zaki, former mosque muezzin, contemplates the place every day. « Today, we feel spirituality. It is as if our souls finally found peace », says the 52 -year -old man. Destroyed in June 2017 during the battle against IS, the mosque and the minaret had been trapped before the withdrawal of the jihadists, according to the Iraqi authorities. The old town of Mosul was 80%destroyed, and more than 12,000 tonnes of rubble was released from the main sites of the UNESCO rehabilitation project, which notably includes the Al-Tharira and Notre-Dame churches of the Time as well as 124 historic houses.

The Al-Tahira church, inaugurated in 1862, has found its arcades, carved and colored stained glass pillars. During its restoration, workers uncovered an underground cellar and large jars used to conserve wine. A glass ceiling now allows visitors to observe the interior. The objective of the project is to restore emblematic monuments « and bring life back » In Mosul, explains Maria Acetoso, project manager at the UNESCO office in Iraq. Mossoul « looked like a ghost city when I arrived in 2019. Five years later, the change is huge »she said.

Demony houses

The restored sites will be inaugurated by the Iraqi authorities in the coming weeks. But if life has resumed in cafes and streets, the city still carries the traces of the fighting. In the historic alleys, ruined houses display the registration « safe »indicating that they have been deserved. But broken and cracked walls bear witness to the exile of their owners, especially Christians, who have not returned.

Mohammed Kassem, 59, has rebuilt his house. Mosul has again « need a lot » To become what it was, he underlines. The city « needs its inhabitants (…) that Christians come back. It’s their place here. » Faced with the Al-Nouri mosque, Saad Mohammed, 65, also hopes for the return of visitors. Despite his nostalgic feeling of what was lost, a smile illuminates his face at the sight of the minaret. « One day, we opened the window and given the black flag of IS on al-Hadba » he recalls. « Today, he rises again, with the mosque and the churches. Now we feel safe. »