Iraq begins rebuilding of Mosul's Al Nuri Mosque

Iraq began rebuilding Mosul’s Al Nuri Mosque on Sunday, laying the cornerstone of a UAE-funded project to restore the national treasure destroyed by ISIS last year.

The twelfth century mosque and its famous leaning minaret – nicknamed Al Hadba or “the hunchback”– adorns Iraq’s 10,000 dinar note. It gained international notoriety in 2014 as the location where Abu Bakr Al Baghdadi declared his ISIS “caliphate”.

By anointing himself so-called caliph in the mosque – his only public appearance as the leader of ISIS – Al Baghdadi sealed the building's fate.

In June 2017, as Iraqi security forces advanced to within 50 metres of the mosque in the closing days of the battle for Mosul, ISIS destroyed it. Reluctant to suffer a symbolic defeat by withdrawing, ISIS fighters demolished the building with explosives and attempted to blame the destruction on coalition air strikes.

Abu Bakr Kenaan, the head of Sunni Muslim endowments in Nineveh, places the cornerstone for the new Al Nuri Mosque in Mosul, Iraq. AFP

On Sunday, dozens of government officials, religious leaders, UN representatives and European ambassadors gathered amid the cleared rubble in front of the ruined mosque to watch the new foundation being laid.

Abdullatif Al Humaym, the head of Sunni Muslim endowments in Iraq, laid a stone with the following inscription: "This cornerstone for the rebuilding and restoration of Al Hadba minaret and the Great Al Nuri Mosque was laid on December 16, 2018."

In the year since ISIS was defeated in the city, the mosque has been left largely as it was when fighting stopped.

A chain-link fence to keep out looters was built around the site, which is still largely rubble. A turquoise cupola and an inscribed entrance arch are all that is left standing of the 800-year-old mosque, both daubed with graffiti cursing ISIS. All that remains of the leaning minaret is its rectangular base.

Iraqi counter-terrorism troops stand outside the destroyed Al Nuri Mosque in the Old City of Mosul in June 30, 2017. AFP

Abu Bakr Kenaan, head of Sunni Muslim endowments in Nineveh province, told AFP that remnants of the minaret would be preserved, while other parts of the mosque would be built from scratch, along with a museum about its history and adjacent homes.

The UAE pledged $50.4 million (Dh185m) to rebuild the mosque, in a restoration project expected to take five years.

Members of the Iraqi Counter-Terrorism Service (CTS) gather outside the destroyed gate of the Al-Nuri Mosque while others inspect the interiors, in the Old City of Mosul on July 2, 2017. AFP

Civilians flee through a destroyed alley as Iraqi Special Forces continue their advance against Islamic State militants in the Old City of Mosul, Iraq, Sunday, July 2, 2017. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana)

A family walks past the destroyed Al Nuri Mosque as they struggle to muster the energy to escape the old city, where heavy fighting and an intense bombardment is exacting a high toll on civilians. Florian Neuhof / The National

A mosque is seen in the Old City in Mosul, Iraq July 3, 2017. REUTERS/Ahmed Jadallah

A girl stops in exhaustion while fleeing through an alley, as Iraqi Special Forces continue their advance against Islamic State militants, in the Old City of Mosul, Iraq, Sunday, July 2, 2017. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana)

An exhausted Iraqi woman takes a break while fleeing through a destroyed street, as Iraqi Special Forces continue their advance against Islamic State militants, in the Old City of Mosul, Iraq, Sunday, July 2, 2017. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana)

TOPSHOT - An Iraqi woman carries a child as she walks through the rubble in the Old City of Mosul on July 2, 2017, during the offensive to retake the city from Islamic State (IS) group fighters. More than eight months since the country's forces launched a gruelling operation to retake Mosul, IS has gone from fully controlling the city to holding a few neighbourhoods on its western side. / AFP PHOTO / Fadel SENNA

TOPSHOT - A man walks by destroyed vehicles in a street in the Old City of Mosul on July 2, 2017, during the offensive to retake the city from Islamic State (IS) group fighters. More than eight months since the country's forces launched a gruelling operation to retake Mosul, IS has gone from fully controlling the city to holding a few neighbourhoods on its western side. / AFP PHOTO / Fadel SENNA

TOPSHOT - A man carries two children in his arms hile fleeing from the Old City of Mosul on July 2, 2017, as Iraqi government forces continue their offensive to retake the city from Islamic State (IS) group fighters. / AFP PHOTO / AHMAD AL-RUBAYE

A destroyed mosque in the Old City of Mosul, during the government forces' offensive to retake the city from ISIS fighters. AFP

The mosque's destruction "was a moment of horror and despair," said Unesco Iraq representative Louise Haxthausen.

"Today as we lay the foundation stone of the Nuri mosque, we are starting a journey of physical reconstruction," she told those gathered.

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UAE launches greatest cultural restoration project in Iraq to revive Al Nuri mosque

UAE funds rebuilding of Mosul’s Al Nuri Mosque and historic minaret

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The mosque takes its name from Nureddin Al Zinki, who ordered it to be built in 1172 after battling Crusaders and Shiite Fatimids.

Its cylindrical minaret, which featured several levels of ornamental brickwork capped by a small white dome, started listing centuries ago.

Renovations to the minaret during the 1930s were overseen by a renowned local Christian stonemason.

Local lore holds that he declined payment for his work, saying instead: “I will get my wage from the owner of this home,” referring to God.

Updated: December 17, 2018, 10:41 AM

Iraq begins rebuilding of Mosul's Al Nuri Mosque

UAE funds reconstruction of famous Iraqi mosque destroyed by ISIS