The remains of Old Khanka village and its cemetery near Khanke town in the Shingal district of Nineveh province are now visible.
Every day, former residents come to see the remains of their homes and visit loved ones buried in the cemetery.
Khalat Khidir, a mason who repairs headstones and re-writes fading names on gravestones, is one of those who has returned.
"My ancestors used to do this job [masonry], so did I. We used to come here [to the cemetery] on foot from Khanke town, though it was not very safe. We used to visit this cemetery in the past every Wednesday, lighting lamps," he recalled.
Everyone who once lived in the village has a story to share.
Jameel Injul checks the remains of his classrooms and other rooms of the village school where he studied when he was a child.
"It’s a great feeling when you see something old. You feel nostalgic when you remember these old memories," Injul said. "I used to study from grade one to five. We left here after it submerged..."
More than 80 villages were submerged when Mosul dam was constructed on the Tigris River in 1984, 50 kilometres north of Mosul.
The dam can store up to 11 billion cubic meters of water that is used in agriculture and residential sectors. It also produces hydropower, generating an average of 580 megawatts of energy per day.
In June 2019, German and Kurdish archaeologists uncovered an ancient palace after water levels plummeted. The ruins were located in Kimune, where the ancient city of Zakhiku, ruled over by the Mittani Empire, is believed to have been located.
