Shafaq News– Nineveh
Northern Iraq’s Nineveh province opened a documentary exhibition on Mosul’s Old City at the historic Suleiman Al-Saigh house, alongside the launch of a digital museum initiative, a local official told Shafaq News.
According to Ruwaid Al-Layla, head of the province’s
Directorate of Antiquities and Heritage, the exhibition traces the history of
Old Mosul through interactive maps, photographs, and documents highlighting
stages of reconstruction of homes and heritage sites under UNESCO-led projects
supported by the United Arab Emirates.
The initiative also includes the launch of the Mosul Digital Museum, developed in cooperation with UNESCO and under the guidance of the State Board of Antiquities and Heritage, to serve tourists, researchers, and those interested in the city’s history.
Al-Layla added that the State Board, in coordination with
Nineveh’s Directorate of Education, has directed the organization of student
field trips to archaeological and heritage sites through the educational
activities department to promote awareness of Mosul’s history and cultural
legacy.
The initiative comes after Mosul suffered extensive destruction during ISIS’s occupation between 2014 and 2017 and the subsequent nine-month military campaign to retake the city. UNESCO estimates that around 80 percent of the Old City was damaged, with entire neighborhoods destroyed and major landmarks, including the Grand Al-Nuri Mosque and its Al-Hadba minaret, blown up in 2017 as Iraqi forces advanced.