Mosul’s site grows again after destruction

Historical buildings in Mosul, including churches and mosques, are reopened by the extremist Islamic State (IS) Group as a result of the acquisition of the city of Iraqi.

Organized and funded by UNESCO, the project began a year later, defeated and excluded from the city in North Iraq in 2017.

UNESCO Director General Audrey Azoule and Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammad Shia ‘Al-Sudani is attending a function on Wednesday to attend a ceremony to reopen.

There will also be local artisans, residents and representatives of all religious communities of Mosul.

In 2014, Mosul has been captured, which has been seen as a symbol of tolerance and co-existence between various religious and ethnic communities in Iraq for centuries.

The group implemented its extreme ideology to the city, targeted minorities and killed opponents.

Three years later, an American -backed alliance in an alliance with the Iraqi army and the state’s militia climbed into a deep ground and kept the city back to control. The largest battle focusing on the old city, where the fighters of the group created a final stand.

Mosul photographer Ali Al-Barudi recalled the horror when he first entered the area shortly after the street-road fight ended in the summer of 2017.

He brilliantly saw the Al-Hadba Minar, known as “Hanchaback”, which was a symbol of Mosul for hundreds of years, in ruins.

“It was like a ghost city,” he says. “Dead body around, a sick smell and horizon without the terrible view of the city and Hadba Minar.

“It was not the city that we knew – it was like a custom – that we had never imagined even in our worst dreams. I fell silent for a few days after that. I lost my voice. I lost my mind.”

Eighty percent of the old city of Mosul on the west coast of Tigris was destroyed during the three -year possession of IS.

It was not only needed to repair the church, mosques and old houses, but also the community spirit of those who lived in solely harmony between religions and ethnicities.

The huge function of reconstruction began with a budget of $ 115M (£ 93m) under the aegis of UNESCO, which the agency managed to drum, most of its part from the United Arab Emirates and the European Union.

Father Olivier Pockwillon – A Dominican priest – returned to help to help to maintain the restoration of one of the major buildings in Mosul, the Convent of Notre -Dem de Lahore, which was locally known as Al -Saa , Which was established about 200 years ago. ,

“We began trying first to gather the team – a team that is made up of the people of the old Mosul from different sects – Christians, Muslims are all working together,” they say.

Father Pockwilan says that bringing communities together was the biggest challenge and the biggest achievement.

“If you want to rebuild the buildings that you have previously rebuilt – if you do not rebuild the trust, it is useless to re -organize the walls of those buildings because they become a goal for other communities Will go. “

In -charge of the entire project – 124 old houses and two especially fine mansion restores – Chief architect Maria Rita is acetoso, who came directly to Mosul from the restoration of UNESCO in Afghanistan.

“This project shows that culture can also create employment, encourage skill development and also make those people feel meaningful,” she says.

He hopes that reconstruction can restore hope and enable people’s cultural identity and recovery of memory.

“I think it is especially important for younger generations growing in a state of struggle and political instability,” she says.

UNESCO says more than 1,300 local youth have been trained in traditional skills, while some 6,000 new jobs have been made.

More than 100 classes were renewed in Mosul. Thousands of historical pieces were recovered and listed from the rubble.

In the hosts of engineers involved in the reconstruction, 30% were women.

Eight years later, bells are again ringing in Mosul from Al-Tahera Church, whose roof collapsed after severe damage under 2017.

Other major sites of Mosul have also been restored-Minar of Al-Hadba, Dominican al-Saa Convent and Complex of Al-Nori Mosque.

And people are able to return to homes that have been home to their families for centuries.

A resident Mustafa said: “My house was built in 1864 – unfortunately it was partially destroyed during Mosul’s liberation and it was unsuitable to stay there, especially with my children.

“So I decided to go to my parents’ house. I was very happy and excited to see my house again.”

Abdullah’s family also lives in a house in the old city since the 19th century when this area was a center for wool trade – that is why he says that his house is so precious for him.

“After UNESCO rebuilt my house, I came back,” they say. “I can’t describe the feeling that I had because after seeing all the destruction there, I felt that I would never be able to come back and live there again.”

Whatever the people of Mosul did, the marks of it have not been cured yet – just as much as Iraq remains in a delicate position.

But the rebirth of the old city from the debris represents hope for a better future – as Ali al -Barudi continues to document the development of his beloved home day.

He says, “This really likes to see a dead person coming back into life in a very beautiful way – it is the true feeling of the city that is coming back in life,” he says.