IRAQ

Significance of Mosul's Great Mosque of al-Nuri

FILES-IRAQ-CONFLICT-MOSUL A general view of the leaning minaret and Nouri Mosque (R) in Mosul during the ongoing offensive to retake the area from Islamic State group fighters | AFP

Iraq's heritage once again faced a heavy blow at the hands of Islamic State militants on Wednesday. According to an Iraqi military statement, IS militants blew up Mosul's historic Great al-Nuri mosque and its leaning minaret. The mosque, one of the most significant structures in Iraq's history, is from where the IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi declared a 'caliphate' in 2014.

This is the latest building to be destroyed by IS militants. Since 2015 militants have wrecked havoc and bulldozed its way through the cultural heritage of Iraq by destructing significant structures—Mosul museum, Mosul library, tomb of prophet Jonah, city of Nimrud and Khorsabad.

The Great Mosque was named after Nur al-Din Mahmoud Zangi, a Turkic ruler of Mosul and Aleppo. Nur al-Din had ordered construction of the mosque in 1172, two years before his death. He was famous for his role in unifying Arab forces against European Christian crusaders. The mosque and its minaret are pictured on Iraq's 10,000 dinar currency note.

Often referred to as Iraq's Tower of Pisa, the minaret (originally 150ft high), was found to be leaning by the 14th century. This tilt also fetched it a nickname—al-Hadba, or the hunchback. Though the exact cause of the tilt is not known, legend has it that the minaret bowed in reverence to the spirit of Prophet Muhammed as he passed overhead and ascended to heaven.

The ancient minaret had become a safety concern due to its risk of collapsing. In fact in 2014, the UNESCO had begun a conservation programme, in collaboration with the provincial government to stabilise the minaret. However, none of those efforts took off. Within a week, militants of what was then called ISIL, launched surprise attacks on Mosul, taking over much of the city. In June, according to reports, the militants killed the imam of the Great Mosque, for refusing to join their cause. In July 2014, IS leader Baghdadi delivered a sermon from the pulpit of the mosque, and declared the new caliphate. Since then, the black flag of IS flew atop the minaret.

And now, the iconic al-Hadba, which punctuated the skyline of Mosul has now been reduced to a rubble. Another historical crime by the Islamic State.

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Topics : #Islamic State | #Iraq

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