Page 207 - UAE Ministry of Culture PR REPORT - SEPTEMBER 2025

9/12/25, 2:54 PM UAE-led restoration project removes scars of Mosul’s ISIS destruction | The National
UAE-led restoration project removes scars of

Mosul’s ISIS destruction

Al Nuri Mosque and churches of Our Lady of the Hour Convent and Al Tahera were revived

Mina Al-Oraibi
Mohamad Ali Harisi
Mosul
September 01, 2025
Mosul has reclaimed its spirit with the completion of a UAE-led project that restored historic landmarks and erased some of the
last remnants of ISIS destruction.

The seven-year project in the 2,500-year-old Iraqi city involved the reconstruction of Al Nuri Mosque and its leaning minaret,
along with the churches of Our Lady of the Hour Convent and Al Tahera.

The completion was announced in a ceremony in the centuries-old mosque on Monday, attended by Iraqi Prime Minister
Mohammed Shia Al Sudani, the UAE's Minister of Culture Sheikh Salem bin Khalid Al Qassimi and Minister of State at the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs Noura Al Kaabi, as well as Unesco representatives and UN special envoy Mohamed Al Hassan.

In the evening, the mosque finally reopened it doors for worshippers.

The UAE funded Unesco in a $50.4 million initiative driven by its Ministry of Culture, part of a total of
$115 million mobilised for the project.

Exclusive Sheikh Salem told The National: "I feel extremely proud. We wanted to make sure that the coexistence
'Lessons learnt' and brotherhood feeling ... continue to exist throughout the years. We are looking at those incredible
from rebuilding sites and seeing what else we can contribute."
Mosul’s Al Nuri
Mosque, Unesco Standing in front of the minaret, Ms Al Kaabi said the project has risen in a way that brings "joy to us all",
says
adding that Mosul's heart "is beating once again".
Read More
"Today I see it rising again, stronger than before, a witness to the rebirth of the spirit of cities," added the
Emirati minister. "Our message is clear: reviving heritage is reviving confidence in the future."

Watch: UAE-led project brings Mosul’s landmarks back to life

https://www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/2025/09/01/mission-accomplished-uae-led-restoration-project-wipes-away-mosuls-scars-of-isis-destructi… 1/4