Mayor of Alqosh calls for continued support for Christian town
"My message to everyone who visits here is to please visit Alqosh and do not stop supporting our people here, we need your support."
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Lara Zara, the female mayor of the Christian town of Alqosh, called for continued support her town on Saturday and confirmed that the tomb of the Jewish Biblical Prophet Nahum has yet to be reopened to the public.
Alqosh is located southeast of Duhok, in the Nineveh Plains. It is known for its beautiful churches, and the Rabban Hormizd Monastery, which is carved out in the nearby mountains.
The town is also known as the home of the historic tomb of the Biblical Prophet Nathum, important to both Jews and Muslims.
In 2014, as it rampaged across Northern Iraq, the Islamic State (ISIS) group threatened Alqosh. But the terrorist organization was prevented from entering the town by the Kurdish Peshmerga, who were supported by local Christian fighters.
Alqosh's mayor told Kurdistan 24 that the restoration work for the Jewish tomb was funded with $500,000 by the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and $1 million by the US government. However, she said the restoration is not fully completed yet.
“But the main restoration was completed,” she said.
“Under the auspices of the Office of the Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government, the tomb of Prophet Nahum is being conserved and restored for the benefit of the people of Alqosh and all of humanity,” reads a plaque outside the site.
“This effort has only been possible with the generous financial support of the United States Government, the Office of the Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government and private donors.”
The Alliance for the Restoration of Cultural Heritage (ARCH) and Czech company GEMA Art International begun restoration work on the ancient structure.
The building was “literally about to collapse,” when ARCH moved in to stabilize it “in preparation for a more complete rehabilitation,” the organization’s website explains.
During a recent visit, the site appears to be completely restored. Work was reportedly supposed to be completed in May.
Mayor Zara said there are still discussions with ARCH and the KRG’s Ministry of Endowment and Religious Affairs about opening of the Jewish tomb, which could attract many tourists to the town.
About 150,000 Jews lived in Iraq prior to the establishment of the State of Israel, when almost the entire Jewish population left the country. Until then, Nahum’s tomb had been a major pilgrimage site for the Kurdish Jewish community.
The Dutch embassy in Iraq is also currently funding a Mosul Community (Greenhouse) Project to revive agriculture in the area through the development firm ECO Consult in Alqosh. Also, the Czech Republic has funded the renovation of a primary school in the Alqosh village of Derastun.
Mayor Zara said she appreciates the support the town gets from Western countries and expressed her hope that they will continue to do so.
“My message to everyone who visits here is to please visit Alqosh and do not stop supporting our people here, we need your support,” Mayor Zara told Kurdistan 24.
