Al-Nuri Mosque in Mosul Destroyed by ISIS

The Great Mosque of Al-Nuri in Mosul, Iraq, was destroyed by ISIS militants using mines placed inside the structure, as evidenced by a video released by The Guardian. The mosque, built between 1172 and 1173 by atabeg Nur ad-Din Zengi during the Abbasid Caliphate, was expanded in the early 16th century under Safavid rule. It was a symbol of Mosul's identity, even depicted on the 10,000-dinar banknote. ISIS claimed the destruction was due to an airstrike, but the video shows no evidence of aerial bombardment. The mosque's destruction is part of ISIS's strategy to erase moderate Muslim identity and cultural memory, akin to Pol Pot's actions in Cambodia. The article by Niccolò Lucarelli emphasizes the importance of cultural heritage preservation as a defense against such extremist ideologies.