In December 2018, the cornerstone was laid for a five-year project to rebuild the famed complex, including the 12th century Great al-Nuri Mosque and adjoining 8th century minaret "al-Hadba", or "the hunchback", ravaged in the months-long fight to rid Mosul of the Islamic State (ISIS) group.
The project is financed by a $50.4 million donation from the United Arab Emirates, according to the UN's heritage agency, UNESCO.
The mosque became infamous as the site where ISIS founder Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi declared the founding of the group’s caliphate in July 2014.
The mosque was demolished during the Mosul Offensive, when Iraqi and coalition forces battled to retake the city. Control was wrested from the group in June 2017.
The war against ISIS in Mosul left much of the city destroyed. With ISIS defeated in Mosul in July 2017, attention turned to reconstruction of its ravaged historical landmarks.
Photos taken on December 15, 2019 by Zaid al-Obeidi / AFP