UAE Funds Reconstruction of Mosul's Great Mosque of al-Nuri

The United Arab Emirates has committed $50 million to rebuild the Great Mosque of al-Nuri in Mosul, Iraq, destroyed by ISIS in June 2017. The mosque, with its iconic leaning minaret, was a symbol of the city and appeared on the 10,000 Iraqi dinar banknote. The reconstruction project, a partnership between the UAE, UNESCO, and Iraq, includes restoration of the al-Nuri Mosque and its 45-meter al-Hadba minaret. Work is scheduled to begin in 2019 and last approximately five years. The initiative is part of a broader UAE cultural strategy to assert influence in the Middle East through heritage preservation.