The United Arab Emirates pledged $50 million to help rebuild a landmark mosque in the Iraqi city of Mosul that was blown up by Islamic State terrorists prior to their ouster from the stronghold last year. The United Nations’ cultural agency announced the five-year project to restore the Great Mosque of al-Nuri, built in 1172 at the behest of Nur al-Din Mahmoud Zangi who is revered for unifying Muslim forces to fight against Christian Crusaders. The first year of the plan will focus on documenting and clearing the site, followed by the actual reconstruction of the mosque along with its famous leaning minaret and adjacent structures. Additionally, Mosul’s historic gardens and other public spaces will be restored and a memorial museum to those who perished under Islamic State rule will be built. The battle for Mosul—which ISIS conquered in 2014—lasted nearly nine months, killed thousands of civilians and displaced almost 1 million others. Notably, the mosque was where the terrorist group’s founder, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, declared the creation of an Islamic “caliphate.”
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