MOSUL – For over 850 years, the leaning minaret of the Great Mosque of al-Nuri stood as an iconic landmark in the Iraqi city of Mosul until it was destroyed by the Islamic State group in 2017.

Nearly eight years after IS militants were driven out of the city, the minaret has been rebuilt as part of a massive internationally-funded reconstruction project in the historic city.

Saad Muhammed Jarjees, who lives in Mosul’s Old City, remembered how he used to look at the Al-Hadbaa Minaret from the window of his house every day — and how his heart sank when it fell.

“During the Islamic State occupation, I would look at it every morning and see their flag flying on top,” he recalled. “We longed for the day that flag would come down — it would mean we were liberated.”

“Then one morning, we woke up to find the entire minaret gone,” he said.

UNESCO, the U.N.’s scientific, educational and cultural organization, worked alongside Iraqi heritage and Sunni religious authorities to reconstruct the minaret using traditional techniques and materials salvaged from the rubble.

For residents of Mosul, the restoration is deeply personal.

“This mosque is considered the identity of Mosul’s people,” said Mohammed Khalil Al-Assaf, an imam in the city. “When we came here today to see the Al-Hadbaa Minaret, we were reminded of beautiful past memories in this holy mosque.”

Removing the remnants of war

An official reopening of the minaret is expected to take place in the coming weeks with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani in attendance.

“The Al-Hadbaa Minaret is one of the most symbolic sites for the people of Mosul, and today this symbol is completely brought back to life,” said Ruwaid Allayla, Director of the State Board of Antiquities and Heritage.

“The heritage authority ensured the use of original materials for reconstruction to preserve its exceptional value and authenticity and keep it on UNESCO’s World Heritage list.” Allayla said.

Omar Taqa, the site engineer for Al-Hadbaa Minaret and the Great Al-Nuri Mosque, detailed the difficulties of rebuilding a site so severely damaged by war.

“Some of the biggest challenges in the reconstruction of Al-Hadbaa Minaret included the removal of war remnants that were mixed with the rubble and separating the artifacts from the debris,” Taqa said.

The team also needed to conduct detailed engineering and historical studies to design a site that would preserve the essence of the original, he said.

On a visit to the city on Wednesday, UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay toured the minaret and the al-Nuri Mosque and other restored sites including the al-Hadbaa Minaret and the al-Tahira and al-Sa’aa churches.

“This intervention in a post-conflict environment was unprecedented in its complexity,” she said. “80% of the Old City had been destroyed. When our first team arrived on-site in 2018, they were faced with a field of ruins.”

UNESCO mobilized $115 million for the reconstruction project, with large shares coming from the United Arab Emirates and the European Union, Azoulay said.

Christian sites also restored

The reconstruction push has also aimed to restore the city’s Christian sites. In 2003, Mosul’s Christian population stood at around 50,000. Many of them fled after IS seized control of Mosul in 2014.

Today, less than 20 Christian families remain as permanent residents in the city. Others who fled to Irbil and other surrounding areas have not returned to their homes in Mosul but commute there for church on Sundays.

At al-Tahira Church, which was also restored, Mar Benedictus Younan Hanno, Archbishop of Mosul for Syriac Catholics, said the reconstruction is about more than just buildings.

“The main goal of rebuilding churches today is to revive the history that our ancestors lived,” Hanno said. “When Mosul Christians come to this church, they remember the place where they got educated and baptized, and the place where they prayed. This could possibly give them an incentive to return.”

Azoulay said that the sound of church bells ringing and church choirs singing in Mosul again sends a powerful message.

“It sends the message that the city is returning to its true identity, which is a plural identity,” she said. “It’s a very important sign of hope that this church was rebuilt by Iraqi people, mostly Muslims, who are happy to restore it for this community.”

A model for future reconstruction

UNESCO’s experience in Mosul will shape its approach to restoring other cultural sites in war-torn areas — including neighboring Syria, which is now starting to emerge from nearly 14 years of civil war after the fall of former President Bashar Assad.

“This initiative is also a legacy for UNESCO,” Azoulay said. “Our organization has acquired new expertise in post-conflict situations that it will be able to replicate in other crisis situations.”

Azoulay declined to comment on UNESCO’s specific plans for Syria. But she told the AP that the work its done to support Mosul “is something we would love to do elsewhere, if political and security conditions allow.”

“The wounds of this city will take a long time to heal,” Azoulay said. “but this is a beautiful start.”