The leaning minaret of Al Nuri Mosque, which stood over the labyrinth of alleyways in Mosul’s Old City for almost 850 years before it was violently destroyed by ISIS, has risen proudly again as a guardian of history and a declaration that the northern Iraqi city endures, its spirit unbroken.

Not far away, the bells of Our Lady of the Hour Convent and Al Tahera churches, which were also severely damaged when ISIS militants overran Mosul in mid-2014 and again during the fight to claw the city back, are poised to ring once more.

Their restoration – led by Unesco with funds from the UAE and other countries – marks more than the revival of the stone, it is the revival of hope that sends a powerful message for coexistence.

“It is a restoration to our souls,” Shakir Mahmoud, 55, told The National, from outside his house, only metres from the mosque. “We are thrilled to see these landmarks of Mosul rising again, bringing hope of brighter days ahead."

The father of six had lived in the shadow of Al Nuri Mosque for as long as he could remember. Its towering, leaning 45-metre minaret was the last thing he glimpsed when he fled the neighbourhood in June 2017, as the battle for the city between US-backed Iraqi forces and terrorist group ISIS intensified.

A day later, the militants blew up the minaret as they retreated from the last urban stronghold they held for almost three years of ruinous war. “My heart ached with pain when I heard the news,” said Mr Mahmoud. “To this day, it hurts the soul whenever we remember the incident.”

Over the past 2,500 years, Mosul has lived up to its Arabic name, which translates to 'Linking Point', as a bridge between regions and cultures. The city became a crucible of Iraq’s pluralistic identity marked by the coexistence of its various ethnic, linguistic and religious groups.

In June 2014, ISIS militants seized control over Mosul, Iraq’s second-largest city, in less than a week. They immediately launched a campaign to destroy and ransack the city's rich archaeological and heritage sites, churches and Islamic buildings, which the terrorist group considered to be pagan and idolatrous.

From the pulpit in Al Nuri Mosque, which is named after Seljuk ruler Nureddin Al Zinki who ordered it to be built in 1172 after battling Crusaders and Shiite Fatimids, the extremist group declared its self-proclaimed "caliphate” in parts of Iraq and Syria.

For Mr Mahmoud, who runs a small supermarket from his house, the mosque was more than a religious building – it was also "the soul of Mosul and its identity that we all proud of".

In February 2025, Unesco director general Audrey Azoulay announced the completion of the reconstruction of the minaret and the two churches as part of the Revive the Spirit of Mosul initiative.

At an event to mark the completion, Ms Azoulay said the restoration of the minaret “is like history coming back, like the identity of this city coming back".

She said the reconstruction efforts had created new perspectives for peace, reconciliation and a thriving life in Mosul.

“We can listen to the sounds of Mosul and it is good to hear those sounds because I remember the deafening silence that used to be here," she said.

“The history of Mosul dating back thousands of years can continue to inspire and amaze us."

Reconstruction of Al Nuri Mosque complex remains under way, with Ms Azoulay saying completion is close.

The mihrab, a niche indicating the direction of Makkah, has been largely repaired using its original stones but the minbar, from where sermons are delivered, had to be predominantly rebuilt using new materials. A glass ceiling encases the older layers found during the restoration so that visitors can see the original stones inside.

Sheikh Ahmed Hashim Al Ghadhanfari, an imam of another mosque in Mosul, said he “felt joy and happiness” when he entered the prayer hall for the first time since 2012 and performed dhuhr prayers with others.

“We pray to God that [the mosque] will be opened to the public soon to perform all five prayers and Friday sermon,” he told The National.

“Residents of Mosul suffered dearly. Life has come back, and we pray to God that security and stability will prevail, after getting rid of that criminal organisation and returning Mosul back to its residents."

‘A big dream come true’

Before the 2003 US-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein, Christians had lived in peace among the country’s Muslim majority and enjoyed protection from the government and society.

But with the rise of extremism post-2003, the community had to endure targeted killings and kidnappings for ransom, forcing many to flee the country, leaving behind homes and businesses that had been taken illegally, mainly by gangs who forged property ownership papers.

Community leaders estimate the number of Christians in Iraq has dropped to about a third of the estimated 1.5 million who lived in the country before 2003.

When ISIS controlled Mosul and its surrounding areas in 2014, Christians were driven from their homes. Most of those who could not escape or refused to convert to Islam were killed by the terrorist group. Churches and heritage sites linked to Christianity were either demolished of vandalised by ISIS.

As of 2003, there were about 50,000 Christians in Mosul, making up about 10 per cent of the population at the time, Father Raed Adel, president of the Syriac Catholic churches in the city, told The National. Today, Mosul has a population of 3 million and there are no more than 70 Christian families – about 100 to 150 people – remaining, he added.

He said the Syriac Catholic Al Tahera Church, built in 1859 and opened in 1862, was a “prosperous church, flourishing with its believers and its activities, where believers from this area and the entire city used to gather”. During ISIS's occupation of Mosul, the house of worship was used by the militants as a prison and subsequently destroyed during their scorched-earth campaign in 2017, he said.

The newly rebuilt and furnished church was designed to blend tradition with modern elegance, creating a serene and sacred atmosphere for worshippers. The high-vaulted ceiling soars high above, with part of the walls adorned with floral designs, carved by sculptors from Mosul. The altar itself is beautifully carved, made of marble stone and alabaster, with chandeliers hanging from the ceiling above rows of new wooden benches.

“We used to say that it would be rebuilt, but we did not think that the reconstruction would be like this,” Father Raed said. “It was returned to its former glory, even better than it was before, and we are happy about this.

“Great joy, an indescribable feeling ... words cannot express how happy we are. It is truly a big dream come true,” he added.

However, rebuilding such sites is not enough to encourage Christians to return, with some calling on the government to carry out “greater duties” to bring back Christians by offering houses for those who lost their properties or sold them at the lowest prices, and providing job opportunities.

“The government must think of a more serious formula for this component to have a presence again in this city, and to make it as an orchard and garden, with beautiful diversity,” the father said.