Shafaq News/ The reconstruction of Mosul's iconic Nouri Mosque and its leaning minaret, Al-Hadba, is nearly complete, with work standing at 80% completion, UNESCO announced on Wednesday.

"Work on the minaret has reached the sixth of seven sections," Mustafa Al-Ziwani, an engineer overseeing the project for UNESCO, told Shafaq News Agency. "The minaret will be approximately 50 meters tall, as it was originally, and the completion rate is nearing 80%."

The renowned mosque, built in 1172 by Nur al-Din Zangi, is set to reopen to the public next year, Al-Ziwani added. The project is being carried out by UNESCO with funding from the United Arab Emirates and under the supervision of the Nineveh Antiquities and Heritage Inspectorate and the Sunni Waqf.

The mosque and its minaret, symbols of Mosul's history, were destroyed by Islamic State militants in 2017. The militants had used the mosque as a backdrop for their leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi to declare a caliphate in 2014.