60% of Nabi Yunus Mosque has been rehabilitated

Shafaq News/ The Nabi Yunus Mosque, also known as the Prophet Jonah Mosque, in Mosul is 60% rehabilitated, thanks to local residents and donors who covered the reconstruction costs.

Saadallah Tawfiq, the head of the "Doing Good Deeds" association, said on Sunday, to Shafaq News Agency that "the structure work of the prayer hall in the Prophet Jonah Mosque was done by 60%, and now they are rebuilding the three large domes and the Yunus School after making the inner prayer hall bigger."

He also said that "the mosque is a symbol of the city and that is why the donors and benefactors cared about it and we finished some stages and also made the mosque bigger and it can now fit more than 1200 worshipers."

The mosque is one of the oldest and most revered religious sites in Iraq, as it contains a tomb believed to be that of the biblical prophet Jonah, who is known as Yunus in Islam. The mosque was built over the ruins of an ancient Assyrian church and attracted pilgrims and tourists from different faiths.

The mosque was demolished and blown up by the ISIS in 2014, as part of their campaign to destroy all the mosques that have shrines. In 2017, after the liberation of Mosul, a network of tunnels under the mosque revealed the remains of an Assyrian palace and other artifacts.

The reconstruction of the mosque began in 2019, with the support of local residents and donors who contributed to the project. The structure work of the prayer hall is completed by 60%, and the three large domes and the Yunus School are being rebuilt. The mosque is expected to accommodate more than 1200 worshipers when it is fully restored.