Jews warn ancient building near Mosul might collapse

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan24) – Jewish officials in the Kurdistan Region warn against the possible collapse of a historic building belonging to Kurdish Jews.

The representative of Kurdish Jews in the Ministry of Endowment and Religious Affairs at Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) warned an ancient building belonging to the Jewish prophet Nahoum in Alqush, Nineveh province, is at risk of collapse.

Sherzan Omer released a statement on Monday stating that his team "investigated the structure of the building, consulting experts, engineers and architects, and they report the building could completely fall apart within a couple of months.”

A 1500-year-old ancient building, which has the same old classical style as the tomb of the Jewish prophet Nahoum and his sister, is a known place in the town of Alqosh.

Alqosh is located between the cities of Duhok, Erbil, and Mosul, 50 km north of the Islamic state (IS)-held city of Mosul. The town has been protected by Peshmerga forces since IS extremists overrun Iraqi army.  

The Jewish official calls upon historical heritage preservation organizations, the United Nations, UNESCO, KRG and all representatives of foreign countries in Kurdistan Region to help preserve the ancient site.

“This site does not only belong to Jews. It's part of human history, therefore saving it is everyone's responsibility,” Sherzad added.

"We only ask for the renovation of the site, we have previously asked the KRG to renovate it but the work was suspended due to the financial crisis that hit the Kurdistan Region,” the statement read.

In late 2015, a special ceremony was held in the Kurdistan Region for the first time marking the deportation of Jews from Iraq.

Editing by Ava Homa