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Iraq’s famed ‘hunchback’ of Mosul rebuilt brick by brick

The leaning minaret of Mosul in northern Iraq has been restored using its original brickwork, years after it was reduced to rubble under Islamic State group rule.The Al-Hadba or “hunchback” minaret is part of the historic Al-Nuri Mosque from where former IS chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in July 2014 declared his “caliphate” that committed atrocities across swathes of both Syria and Iraq.The mosque and minaret were destroyed in June 2017 during the battle to oust IS from Mosul, and Iraq’s authorities accused the jihadists of planting explosives before their withdrawal.The minaret and mosque are the latest landmarks in Mosul to be restored by United Nations heritage body UNESCO, whose teams have worked for five years to revive several sites there.The Al-Hadba minaret of today is an exact replica of the old one, “built with the same bricks”, said Abdullah Mahmoud of the Iraqi department of antiquities.”Al-Hadba is our identity, and by restoring it, the identity of the city has been reclaimed.”The restored minaret’s tilt has been retained at 160 centimetres (63 inches), just as it was in the 1960s.However, engineers have reinforced the foundations so it no longer leans quite so precariously, as it began to do gradually after being built in the 12th century.”The minaret’s body from the inside needed 96,000 new bricks,” Mahmoud said.”But for the exterior we used 26,000 old bricks” to preserve its historical legacy.- ‘Massive change’ -Days before work was completed, hundreds of workers put the finishing touches to Al-Nuri’s columns, dome and yard.Mahmoud said the mihrab, a niche indicating the direction of Mecca, has been largely repaired using its original stones. But the minbar, from where sermons are delivered, has lost most of its original pieces.Across the street, Imad Zaki, a former muezzin at the mosque, said: “Every day I stand here for an hour to watch as they are restored to their original state.””Today one can feel the spirituality. It’s as if our souls have finally found peace,” added the 52-year-old, wearing a long traditional Iraqi abaya, or robe.Eighty percent of Mosul’s old city was destroyed in the fight against IS, and more than 12,000 tons of rubble was removed for the UNESCO restoration project, which also included Al-Tahira and Our Lady of the Hour churches and 124 heritage houses.The Al-Tahira Church, dating from 1862, has been rebuilt with its arcades, embellished pillars and stained-glass windows.During restoration, workers discovered an underground cellar and large jars once used for wine. It now has a glass ceiling so visitors can look inside.Maria Acetoso, senior project manager at UNESCO Iraq, said the project aimed “to work in parallel on meaningful monuments for the city and also to bring life back” to Mosul.”When I arrived here in 2019 it looked like a ghost city,” Acetoso said. “In five years plus, there has been a massive change.”In Mosul on Wednesday, UNESCO chief Audrey Azoulay hailed her team’s efforts and said on that the renovation had allowed “the identity of the city” to return.- Scars of battle -After IS was defeated, life returned to the city’s streets, where the chatter of patrons in small cafes blended with the clatter of construction work at the mosque.In the coming weeks, Iraqi authorities will inaugurate the restored landmarks.But Mosul still bears scars from the ferocious fight against IS.Tucked away in narrow old city alleyways are ruined houses. Some bear the word “safe” scrawled in red on walls, signalling that they that have been cleared of explosives.The crumbling walls and shattered windows tell tales of displacement. Their original owners, mostly Christian, have yet to return.Mohammed Kassem, 59, came back to the old city a few years ago, to a new house as his former home was just debris.Mosul still “needs a great deal” of work before it is back to normal, he said.”It needs its former residents… the Christians to come back. This is their place,” Kassem added.Across the street from Al-Nuri Mosque, Saad Mohammed, 65, said he hoped the restoration efforts will attract visitors to Mosul, although he still feels sad because of what it has lost.But he couldn’t help but smile when he looked up at the minaret from his little shop.”We opened the window once and saw the black IS flag on top of the minaret. Then we opened it again and the minaret was gone,” said Mohammed, who never left Mosul, even at the height of the fighting.”Today the minaret has risen again, alongside the mosque and the churches. Now we feel safe,” he said.

Hamas rejects Trump proposal to take over Gaza, move Palestinians

Palestinian militant group Hamas lashed out Wednesday at President Donald Trump’s shock proposal for the United States to take over the Gaza Strip and resettle its people in other countries, seemingly whether they want to leave or not.Trump made his announcement to audible gasps during a joint press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whom he was hosting at the White House for talks.In a proposal that lacked details on how he would move out more than two million Palestinians or control Gaza, Trump said he would make the war-battered enclave “unbelievable” by removing unexploded bombs and rubble, and economically redeveloping it.”The US will take over the Gaza Strip and we will do a job with it, too. We’ll own it,” Trump said.He said there was support from the “highest leadership” in the Middle East and upped pressure on Egypt and Jordan to take the Gazans — despite both governments flatly rejecting the idea.Suggesting “long-term ownership” by the United States, Trump said his idea would make it “the Riviera of the Middle East. This could be something that could be so magnificent.”Hamas, which seized sole control of Gaza in 2007, rejected the proposal, branding it a” racist” idea.”The American racist stance aligns with the Israeli extreme right’s position in displacing our people and eliminating our cause,” Hamas spokesman Abdel Latif al-Qanou said in a statement.Much of Gaza was levelled in a 15-month war triggered by Hamas’s October 2023 attack on Israel, and Trump has repeatedly claimed credit for sealing a ceasefire agreement that took effect last month.Netanyahu, who has vowed to bring home hostages taken by Hamas and to crush its capabilities, said Trump’s plan could “change history” and was worth “paying attention to”.Netanyahu was making the first visit by a foreign leader to the White House since Trump’s return to power, for what were billed as talks on securing a second phase of the truce.- ‘Miserable existence’ -But it quickly turned into the shock revelation of a proposal that would, if implemented, completely transform the face of the Middle East.Trump, who also floated travelling to Gaza, appeared to suggest it would not be rebuilt for Palestinians.”It should not go through a process of rebuilding and occupation by the same people that have… lived there and died there and lived a miserable existence there,” he said.Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas also rejected the proposal.”President Mahmud Abbas and the Palestinian leadership expressed their strong rejection of calls to seize the Gaza Strip and displace Palestinians outside their homeland,” Abbas’s office said in a statement, adding that “legitimate Palestinian rights are not negotiable”.Palestinians in Gaza have also denounced Trump’s resettlement idea.”Trump thinks Gaza is a pile of garbage — absolutely not,” said 34-year-old Hatem Azzam, a resident of the southern city of Rafah.For Palestinians, any attempts to force them out of Gaza would evoke dark memories of what the Arab world calls the “Nakba”, or catastrophe — the mass displacement of Palestinians during Israel’s creation in 1948.Trump was vague on the details of how he would execute a takeover, but hinted that it could require US boots on the ground in one of the most volatile places on earth “if necessary.”Standing at a podium beside Trump, Netanyahu hailed Trump as Israel’s “greatest friend” and praised his “willingness to think outside the box”.The two have had tense relations in the past, but Netanyahu has seized on the Republican’s return to power after his ties with former president Joe Biden became strained over the death toll in Gaza.- ‘Winning the war’ -The Israeli premier would not rule out a return to hostilities with Hamas, or with its other foes in the region including Lebanon’s Hezbollah and Iran.”We will end the war by winning the war,” Netanyahu said, while vowing to secure the return of all hostages held by Hamas.He did voice confidence that a deal with regional rival Saudi Arabia to normalise relations was “going to happen”.But after Trump aired his proposal, Saudi Arabia said it would not formalise ties with Israel unless a Palestinian state is established. Trump’s Gaza proposal is set to face harsh opposition.Egypt, Jordan and ceasefire mediator Qatar have all rejected Trump’s suggestion of moving Palestinians from Gaza.Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said relocating Palestinians was something “neither we nor the region can accept”.China too hit out at the proposal, with its foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian saying: “China has always maintained that Palestinian rule over Palestinians is the basic principle of the post-war governance of Gaza, and we are opposed to the forced transfer of the residents of Gaza.”The Gaza war began when Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, resulting in the deaths of 1,210 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures.Israel’s retaliatory response has killed at least 47,518 people in Gaza, the majority civilians, according to the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry. The United Nations considers the figures reliable.burs-ser/kir

US Postal Service says suspending parcels from China

The US Postal Service (USPS) has said it is temporarily suspending inbound parcels from China and Hong Kong, evoking an angry accusation of “unreasonable suppression” from Beijing on Wednesday. The order follows US President Donald Trump’s imposition of additional 10 percent tariffs on Chinese imports starting Tuesday. Minutes after they took effect, Beijing unveiled new levies on a …

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