UAE pledges $50.4 million to rebuild religious historical sites in Mosul

ERBIL, (Kurdistan 24) – The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has entered into an agreement with international organizations and the Iraqi government to pay $50.4 million to rebuild historic sites in Mosul, including a well-known mosque and minaret destroyed in fighting between Iraqi forces and the Islamic State (IS) in 2017.

“The project supported by the UAE concerns the restoration and reconstruction of the historic landmarks of Mosul, notably the emblematic Al-Nouri Mosque and its leaning 45-metre Al-Hadba Minaret, built more than 840 years ago,” read a statement released on Monday by UNESCO, the cultural heritage agency of the United Nations (UN).

The agreement signed that day includes Iraq’s Culture Ministry and the International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM).

The Director General of UNESCO, Audrey Azoulay, welcomed the tripartite agreement and stated that “it is a historic partnership, the largest and unprecedented cooperation to rebuild cultural heritage in Iraq ever.”

According to UNESCO, reconstruction of the historical sites will take at least five years.

"The first year will focus on documenting and clearing the site as well as drawing up plans for its reconstruction,” the statement said, adding that “the following four years will focus on the restoration and historically faithful reconstruction of the Leaning Minaret, the Al-Nouri Mosque and adjacent buildings.”

Editing by John J. Catherine