Iraq to rebuild ISIS-affected Nineveh Oberoi Hotel after court ruling

Shafaq News- Nineveh

Authorities in Nineveh, in northern Iraq, have moved to relaunch the reconstruction of the five-star Mosul Oberoi Hotel after a final court ruling cleared the project for a new investment contract.

Harith Bakhou, Deputy Head of the Nineveh Investment Commission, told Shafaq News on Monday that the Court of Cassation ruled in favor of the commission, revoking the previous investor’s contract and ending a prolonged legal dispute.

The decision enables the project to be awarded to a Baghdad-based company specializing in tourism projects, with procedures now underway to finalize the contract. Bakhou indicated that implementation depends on the firm’s readiness, but work is expected to begin within two to three months.

The project had stalled after Baghdad’s Commercial Court annulled a prior investment agreement in September 2024 over confirmed financial and administrative violations. Ownership was subsequently returned to the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Antiquities, which has reaffirmed plans to rehabilitate the site as part of broader efforts to revive Mosul’s tourism sector.

About the Hotel

The Nineveh Oberoi Hotel, one of Mosul’s most prominent landmarks, was built in the 1980s and includes more than ten floors and around 360 rooms. It was once among Iraq’s most luxurious hotels before sustaining heavy damage during ISIS control of the city.

Following 2003, the site was used by US forces as a base before being taken over by ISIS and repurposed during its rule. After Mosul’s liberation, it was briefly used as a military facility, then left abandoned in a damaged state pending legal resolution and reinvestment.

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