The Ministry of Culture and Knowledge Development organised, in partnership with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation, UNESCO, a discussion, entitled, “Mosul Heritage: A New Era Built by Youth.”

The session, moderated by Mina Al Oraibi, Editor-in-Chief of the National, commemorated the three-year anniversary of the destruction of the Great Mosque of Al Nuri and its Al-Hadba’ Minaret in Mosul by Daesh.

The discussion, was attended by Noura bint Mohammed Al Kaabi, Minister of Culture and Knowledge Development; Suhaib Al Darzi, Head of the Engineering Consultancy Office at Mosul University; Rakan Al Allaf, Director of the National Project to Rebuild the Al Nuri Mosque at UNESCO; Ali Al Baroudi, Translation Professor at Mosul University and Photographer; Fahar Sabah, Iraqi Cultural Activist and Founder of the Writers Forum; Abdulrahman Al Hajjar, Antiquities and Heritage Inspector of Nineveh Governorate at the Iraqi Ministry of Culture and Antiquities, and Narjis Danoun, UNESCO volunteer.

During the session, Al Kaabi praised the citizens of Mosul, who helped complete phase one of the mosque’s rebuilding project, while pointing out that the UAE adopted, in 2018, UNESCO’s initiative to rebuild the mosque, which has sent a message of hope to the entire world in its battle against extremist ideas.

“One day, the Great Mosque of Al Nuri shall rise again in Mosul’s skies, and churches will be rebuilt, and cultural and musical events will be celebrated, along with many other events that celebrate human culture, before the enemies of enlightenment began their destruction. The efforts of the UAE and UNESCO will make Mosul’s citizens smile again,” she said.

Al Allaf said the first phase of the project to rebuild the mosque was completed, due to the help of Mosul’s citizens, with almost 300 people taking part from February 2019 to March 2020 in removing mines and munitions, collecting heritage and historical artifacts, and classifying and documenting them.

The work of UNESCO has continued, despite the COVID-19 crisis, he added, noting that officials are waiting for the delivery of equipment to begin testing soil and rebuilding specific areas of the site, and the project’s second phase will begin in the fourth quarter of 2020.