850-Year-Old Mosque Destroyed by ISIS Reopens

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 militants from the Islamic State group.

• For some 850 years, the leaning minaret of the mosque stood as an iconic landmark. In 2014, ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi declared the so-called "caliphate" there by delivering a Friday sermon and leading prayers. The militant 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, the AP reports. 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."
• 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."
• The reconstruction project in Mosul could serve as a model for restoring other cultural sites in war-torn areas—including neighboring Syria, which is starting to emerge from nearly 14 years of civil war after the fall of former President Bashar Assad last year.