Shafaq News- Nineveh

Nineveh authorities have given the companies assigned to rehabilitate the Mosul and Nineveh Oberoi hotels three months to begin work on the long-delayed projects or risk having their investment licenses revoked, Harith Bakhou, head of the province's Investment Commission, told Shafaq News on Thursday.

If the companies fail to meet the deadline, the projects will be reassigned to new investors under the Commission's supervision, Bakhou said.

At the Mosul Hotel, authorities are working to secure final approval of the engineering plans from the urban planning department, municipality, and civil defense.

The Nineveh Oberoi project, meanwhile, faces a separate obstacle, with the Commission's board objecting to granting an investment license to the construction company awarded the contract. Bakhou said the board questioned the company's qualifications, citing its failure to make progress on another project in Mosul over the past 14 years.

Both hotel projects have been stalled for years by delays and disputes. The Ministry of Culture previously awarded the contracts to two companies, but neither began work despite official groundbreaking ceremonies. Legal and administrative objections later prompted Culture Minister Yassin al-Ithawi to withdraw the project files for review.

About the Nineveh Oberoi Hotel

The Nineveh Oberoi Hotel, one of Mosul's most prominent landmarks, was built in the 1980s and comprises more than 10 floors and around 360 rooms. It was once among Iraq's most luxurious hotels before suffering extensive damage during ISIS control of the city.

After 2003, the site served as a base for US forces before ISIS seized it and repurposed the building during its rule. Following Mosul's liberation in 2017, it was briefly used as a military facility before being abandoned in a damaged state, awaiting legal resolution and reinvestment.