Mosul

This article is about the city. For the former province, seeMosul Vilayet.For other uses, seeMosul (disambiguation).

"Moslawi" redirects here. For the dialect, seeNorth Mesopotamian Arabic.

Mosul الموصل‎
City
Top to bottom, left to right: View overTigris river Church of Saint Thomas•Hatra Mosul Rural area • The river's gate Mosul Museum• Heritage house
Nickname(s): Nīnwē ܢܝ݂ܢܘܹܐ The Pearl of the North
Mosul Location in Iraq Mosul Mosul (West and Central Asia)
Coordinates:36.34°N 43.13°E/36.34; 43.13
Country	Iraq
Governorate	Nineveh
District	Mosul
Area
• Total	180 km2(70 sq mi)
Elevation	223 m (732 ft)
Population (2023)
• Total	1,792,000
• Density	10,000/km2(26,000/sq mi)
Demonym(s)	Mosuli Maslawi
Time zone	UTC+3(AST)
Area code	60

A map of Mosul and its quarters

Mosul Museumis the second largest museum inIraqafter theNational Museum of IraqinBaghdad.It contains ancientMesopotamianartifacts, mainlyAssyrian.

Shrine of Imam Yahya Abu Al Qasim

Nineveh - Mashki Gate

Mosul(/ˈmoʊsəl,moʊˈsuːl/MOH-səl, moh-SOOL;Arabic:الموصل‎,romanized:al-Mawṣil,pronounced[alˈmawsˤil],locally[ɪlˈmoːsˤɪl];Kurdish:مووسڵ‎,romanized:Mûsil;Turkish:Musul;Syriac:ܡܘܨܠ,romanized:Māwṣil) is a major city in northernIraq,serving as the capital ofNineveh Governorate.The city is considered the second-largest city in Iraq in terms of population and area after the capital Baghdad. Mosul is approximately 400 km (250 mi) north ofBaghdadon theTigrisriver. The Mosul metropolitan area has grown from the old city on the western side to encompass substantial areas on both the "Left Bank" (east side) and the "Right Bank" (west side), as locals call the two riverbanks. Mosul encloses the ruins of the ancientAssyriancity ofNineveh– once thelargest city in the world– on its east side.

Mosul is considered among the larger and more historically and culturally significant cities of theArab world.Due to Mosul's strategic location, it has traditionally served as one of the hub of international commerce and travel. The North Mesopotamian dialect of Arabic, commonly known asMoslawi,is named after Mosul and is widely spoken in the region. Together with the nearbyNineveh Plains,Mosul is one of the historical centers of the Assyrian people.

Mosul and its surroundings have an ethnically and religiously diverse population; a large majority of its population areArabs,withAssyrians,Turkmens,Kurdsand other minorities comprising the rest of the city's population.Sunni Islamis the largest religion, but there are a significant number ofChristians,as well as adherents of other sects ofIslamand other minority religions. Historically, essential products of the area include Mosulmarbleandoil.Mosul is home to theUniversity of Mosuland its renowned Medical College, one of the Middle East's largest educational and research centers.

Etymology

The city's name is first mentioned byXenophonin his expeditionary logs inAchaemenid Assyriaof 401 BC, during the reign of the PersianAchaemenid Empire.There, he notes a smallAssyriantown of "Mépsila" (Ancient Greek:Μέψιλα) on the Tigris around where Mosul is today (Anabasis,III.iv.10). It may be safer to identify Xenophon'sMépsilawith the site of Iski Mosul, or "Old Mosul," about 30 km (19 mi) north of modern Mosul, where six centuries after Xenophon's report, theSasanian Empire's center ofBudh-Ardhashirwas built. In any case, "Mepsila" is doubtless the root of the current name.

In its current Arabic form and spelling, the term Mosul, or rather "Mawsil," means "linking point" —or, loosely, "Junction City," inArabic.On Mosul's eastern side are the ruins of the ancient city of Nineveh, andAssyriansstill call the entire cityNineveh(or Ninweh).

Mosul is also nicknamedal-Faiha( "the Paradise" ),al-Khaḍrah( "the Green" ), andal-Hadbah( "the Humped" ). It is sometimes called "The Pearl of the North"and "the city of a million soldiers."

History

Ancient era and early Middle Ages

See also:MesopotamiaandAssyria

Dair Mar Eliasouth of Mosul, Iraq's oldest monastery of theAssyrian Church of the East,dating from the 6th century. It was destroyed byISISin 2014.

The area where Mosul lies was an integral part ofAssyriafrom as early as the 25th century BC. After theAkkadian Empire(2335–2154 BC), which united all the peoples ofMesopotamiaunder one rule, Mosul again became a continuous part of Assyria proper from circa 2050 BC through the fall of theNeo-Assyrian Empirebetween 612 and 599 BC. Mosul remained within thegeopoliticalprovince of Assyria for another 13 centuries (as a part ofAchaemenid Assyria,Seleucid,Roman Assyriaand SasanianAsōristān) until theearly Muslim conquestsof the mid-7th century. After the Muslim conquests, the region saw a gradual influx of Muslim Arab, Kurdish, and Turkic peoples, although indigenous Assyrians continued to use the nameAthurafor the ecclesiastical province.

Ninevehwas one of the oldest and most significant cities in antiquity and was settled as early as 6000 BC.The city is mentioned in theOld Assyrian Empire(2025–1750 BC) and during the reign ofShamshi-Adad I(1809–1776 BC) it was listed as a center of worship of the goddessIshtar,remaining so during theMiddle Assyrian Empire(1365–1056 BC). During theNeo-Assyrian Empire(911–605 BC), Nineveh grew in size and importance, particularly from the reigns ofTukulti-Ninurta IIandAshurnasirpal II(883–859 BC) onward; he chose the city of Kalhu (the BiblicalCalah,modernNimrud) as his capital in place of the ancient traditional capital ofAššur(Ashur), 30 km (19 mi) from present-day Mosul.

Thereafter, successive Assyrian emperor-monarchs, such asShalmaneser III,Adad-nirari III,Tiglath-Pileser III,Shalmaneser VandSargon II,continued to expand the city. Around 700 BC, KingSennacheribmadeNinevehAssyria's new capital. Immense building work was undertaken, and Nineveh eclipsedBabylon,Kalhu and Aššur in size and importance, making it the largest city in the world. Many scholars believe theHanging Gardens of Babylonwere at Nineveh.

The mound of Kuyunjik in Mosul is the site of the palaces of KingSennacheriband his successorsEsarhaddon,Ashurbanipal,(who established theLibrary of Ashurbanipal),Ashur-etil-ilani,Sin-shumu-lishirandSin-shar-ishkun.The Assyrian Empire began to unravel in 626 BC, being consumed by a decade of brutal internal civil wars, significantly weakening it. A war-ravaged Assyria was attacked in 616 BC by a vast coalition of its former subjects, most notably theirBabylonianrelations from southern Mesopotamia, together with theMedes,Persians,Chaldeans,Scythians,Cimmerians,andSagartians.Nineveh fell aftera siege and bitter house-to-house fightingin 612 BC during the reign ofSin-shar-ishkun,who was killed defending his capital. His successor,Ashur-uballit II,fought his way out of Nineveh and formed a new Assyrian capital atHarran(now in southeastern Turkey).

Mosul (then the Assyrian town of Mepsila, founded by the former inhabitants out of the ruins of their former capital) later succeeded Nineveh as the Tigris bridgehead of the road that linked Assyria andAnatoliawith the short-livedMedian Empireand succeedingAchaemenid Empire(546–332 BC), where it was a part of the geopolitical province ofAthura(Assyria), where the region, and Assyria in general, saw a significant economic revival.

Mosul became part of theSeleucid EmpireafterAlexander's conquests in 332 BC. While little is known of the city from the Hellenistic period, Mosul likely belonged to the Seleucid satrapy ofSyria,the Greek term forAssyria( "Syria" originally meaning Assyria rather than the modern nation ofSyria), which theParthian Empireconquered circa 150 BC.

Mosul changed hands again with the rise of the Sasanian Empire in 225 and became a part of the Sasanian province ofAsōristān.Christianity was present among the indigenousAssyrian peoplein Mosul as early as the 1st century, although theancient Mesopotamian religionremained strong until the 4th century. It became an episcopal seat of theAssyrian Church of the Eastin the 6th century.

In 637 (other sources say 641), during the period of the CaliphUmar,Mosul was annexed to theRashidun CaliphatebyUtba ibn Farqad al-Sulamiduring the early Arab Muslim invasions and conquests, after which Assyria dissolved as a geopolitical entity.

9th century to 1535

APersian miniaturedepicting the siege of Mosul in 1261–63 from:Rashid-al-Din Hamadani,Jami' al-tawarikh,Bibliothèque Nationale de France.

Great Mosque of al-Nuri

In the late 9th century theTurkicdynastsIshaq ibn Kundajand his sonMuhammadseized control over Mosul, but in 893 Mosul came once again under the direct control of theAbbasid Caliphate.In the early 10th century Mosul came under the control of the native ArabHamdanid dynasty.From Mosul, the Hamdanids under Abdallah ibn Hamdan and his sonNasir al-Dawlaexpanded their control overUpper Mesopotamiafor several decades, first as governors of the Abbassids and later asde factoindependent rulers. A century later they were supplanted by theUqaylid dynasty.

Mosul was conquered by theSeljuk Empirein the 11th century. After a period under semi-independentatabegsuch asMawdud,in 1127 it became the centre of power of theZengid dynasty.Saladinbesieged the city of Mosul unsuccessfully in 1182 After his conquest ofAleppoin 1183, ending Zengid rule in Syria, Saladin made a last offensive against Mosul in late 1185, hoping for an easy victory over the presumably demoralized Zengid Emir of MosulMas'ud,but failed due to the city's unexpectedly stiff resistance and a serious illness which caused Saladin to withdraw toHarran.Upon Abbasid encouragement, Saladin and Mas'ud negotiated a treaty in March 1186 that left the Zengids in control of Mosul, but under the obligation to supply the Ayyubids with military support when requested.The city remained in control of the Zengids, untilBadr al-Din Lu'lu'took over from 1234 to 1259.

During the final stages of theMongol invasion of Persia and Mesopotamia,in 1258, while about 80 years old, Badr al-Din Lu'lu' went in person toMeragato offer his submission to the Mongol invaderHulagu.Badr al-Din helped the Khan in his following campaigns in Syria. Mosul was spared destruction, but Badr al-Din died shortly thereafter in 1259.Badr al-Din's son continued in his father's steps, but after the Mongol defeat in theBattle of Ain Jalut(1260) against theMamluks,he sided with the latter and revolted against the Mongols. Hulagu then besieged the city of Mosul for nine month, and destroyed it in 1262.Later Mosul regained some importance but never recovered its original splendor. Mosul was thenceforth ruled by the MongolIlkhanateandJalairid Sultanateand escapedTimur's destructions.

In 1165,Benjamin of Tudelapassed through Mosul. He wrote about aJewishcommunity of about 7,000 people led by Rabbi Zakkai, presumed to be a scion of theDavidic line.In 1288–89, when theExilarchwas in Mosul, he signed a supporting paper forMaimonides.In the early 16th century, Mosul was under the Turkmen federation of theAğ Qoyunlu,but in 1508 it was conquered by theSafavid dynastyof Iran.

Metalworking industry

TheBlacas ewer,made by Shuja' ibn Man'a in Mosul in 1232, is one of the most famous brass pieces from Mosul.

In the 13th century, Mosul had a flourishing industry making luxury brass items that were ornatelyinlaidwith silver.Many of these items survive today; in fact, of all medieval Islamic artifacts, Mosul brasswork has the mostepigraphicinscriptions.However, the only reference to this industry in contemporary sources is the account ofIbn Sa'id,an Andalusian geographer who traveled through the region around 1250.He wrote that "there are many crafts in the city, especially inlaid brass vessels which are exported (and presented) to rulers".These were expensive items that only the wealthiest could afford, and it wasn't until the early 1200s that Mosul had the demand for large-scale production of them.Mosul was then a wealthy, prosperous capital city, first for the Zengids and then for Badr al-Din Lu'lu'.

The origins of Mosul's inlaid brasswork industry are uncertain.The city had an iron industry in the late 10th century, whenal-Muqaddasirecorded that it exported iron and iron goods like buckets, knives and chains.However, no surviving metal objects from Mosul are known before the early 13th century.Inlaid metalworking in the Islamic world was first developed inKhurasanin the 12th century by silversmiths facing a shortage of silver.By the mid-12th century,Heratin particular had gained a reputation for its high-quality inlaid metalwork.The practice of inlaying "required relatively few tools" and the technique spread westward, perhaps by Khurasani artisans moving to other cities.

By the turn of the 13th century, the silver-inlaid-brass technique had reached Mosul.A pair of engraved brassflabellafound in Egypt and possibly made in Mosul are dated by a Syriac inscription to the year 1202, which would make them the earliest known Mosul brasses with a definite date (although they are not inlaid with anything).One extant item may be even older: an inlaid ewer by the master craftsmanIbrahim ibn Mawaliyais of an unknown date, but D.S. Rice estimated that it was made around 1200.Production of inlaid brasswork in Mosul may have already begun before the turn of the century.

The body of Mosul metalwork significantly expands in the 1220s - several signed and dated items are known from this decade, which according to Julian Raby "probably reflects the craft's growing status and production."In the two decades from roughly 1220 to 1240, the Mosul brass industry saw "rapid innovations in technique, decoration, and composition".Artisans were inspired by miniature paintings produced in the Mosul area.

Mosul seems to have become predominant among Muslim centers of metalwork in the early 13th century.Evidence is partial and indirect - relatively few objects which directly state where they were made exist, and in the rest of cases it depends onnisbahs.However, al-Mawsili is by far the most commonnisbah;only two others are attested: al-Is'irdi (referring to someone fromSiirt) and al-Baghdadi.There are, however, some scientific instruments inlaid with silver that were made in Syria during this period, with the earliest being 1222/3 (619 AH).

Instability after the death of Badr al-Din Lu'lu' in 1259, and especially the Mongol siege and capture of Mosul in July 1262, probably caused a decline in Mosul's metalworking industry.There is a relative lack of known metalwork from the Jazira in the late 1200s; meanwhile, an abundance of metalwork fromMamlukSyria and Egypt is attested from this same period.This doesn't necessarily mean that production in Mosul ended, though, and some extant objects from this period may have been made in Mosul.

Ewer from Mosul, 1246-1247 CE

Homberg ewer. Inlaid Brass with Christian Iconography. probably Mosul, dated 1242–43.

The earliest definite evidence of Mawsili craftsmen emigrating westward to Mamluk Syria and Egypt dates from the 1250s.Extant Mawsili works from these regions seem to be the result of one particular family setting up workshops inDamascusand thenCairorather than a mass movement of Mosul artisans to those cities.Five Mawsili craftsmen are known from these two cities in the late 13th century, of which 3 or 4 are members of this same family.The first isHusayn ibn Muhammad al-Mawsili,who produced the earliest known silver-inlaid work from Damascus in the late 1250s.His presumed son,Ali ibn Husayn ibn Muhammad al-Mawsili,was active in Cairo several decades later.However, the earliest known silver-inlaid brasswork from Cairo belongs to another presumed member of this family, Muhammad ibn Hasan.His one known work, a candlestick dated to 1269, has an inscription which suggests he died before it was completed.The "key figure" for early Mamluk metalwork in Cairo, however, was Ali ibn Husayn.His works from the 1280s both show Mosul influence as well as a different "early Mamluk" style.A final member was Husayn ibn Ahmad ibn Husayn, a grandson of Husayn ibn Muhammad, who was active at the turn of the 14th century and made "a major work" for theRasulidsultanal-Mu'ayyad Hizabr al-Din Dawud ibn Yusuf.This family appears to have initiated "two of the most characteristic features of 14th-century Mamluk metalwork: large-scale inspirational candlesticks, and large multi-lobed medallions with a wide border that eventually became filled with flying ducks".

Mosul metalwork eventually influenced a tradition of metal inlay inFarsand elsewhere in western Iran in the 14th century.The Ilkhanids rounding up artisans and gathering them in their capital ofTabrizfor centralized royal production may have played a role in this transmission.

Only two items are definitively known to have been produced in Mosul.The first is theBlacas ewer,made by Shuja' ibn Man'a in 1232, and the second is a silver-inlaid pen box made by Ali ibn Yahya in 1255/6 (653 AH).No other works by either craftsman are known.They form part of the broader Mosul work which consists of 35 known surviving brasses made by artisans with thenisbahal-Mawsili, by some 27 different makers.80% of them are from the years 1220 to 1275, and the remaining 20% are from 1275 to about 1325.

Modern western scholarship has termed this body of metalwork attributed to Mosul the "Mosul School",although the validity of this grouping is disputed.The "indiscriminate" attribution of silver-inlaid brasses to Mosul,particularly byGaston Migeonat the turn of the 20th century, led to a reaction against the term.Later scholars such asMax van Berchem,Mehmet Ağa-Oğlu,and D.S. Rice all took a more skeptical view; van Berchem in particular argued that only six known items could be definitely attributed to Mosul, and others were likely made elsewhere.Souren Melikian-Chirvaniremarked in 1973 that Mosul had been famous in the west for a century for metalwork it did not make.However, Julian Raby has defended the concept of the Mosul School, arguing that the city did have a distinct metalworking tradition with its own techniques, styles and motifs, and sense of community.He compared Mosul's metalwork toKashan's pottery and wrote that "Mawsili metalworkers displayed a conscious sense of community and tradition and, at least in the early years, a proud acknowledgement of tradition" and that the city's metalwork gained a wide reputation or "brandvalue "lasting for over a century.

Part of Raby's argument was that many items shared one or two recurring symbols that "served no practical purpose" and may have been meant as a "brand", "workshop mark", a "guildemblem ", or" perhaps as a mark of master craftsmanship ".The first one is an octagon filled with complex geometric patterns, which appears on at least 13 items over the course of three decades: the 1220s through the 1240s.Several of the most important Mosul artists from what Raby terms the "second generation of Mosul metalwork" all used this symbol:Ahmad al-Dhaki,Ibn Jaldak, Shuja' ibn Man'a, Dawud ibn Salama, and Yunus ibn Yusuf.A notable absence is Ibrahim ibn Mawaliya, a member of the first generation.The octagon disappears after about 1250, and is also not used by workers known to have been outside Mosul.

Another recurring symbol is a rosette with either 10 or 12 leaves found at the bottom of the item - either the base of aeweror the bottom of the shaft of a candlestick.This is not normally visible, and perhaps because it served no practical purpose, it was eventually abandoned around the middle of the century.The last example of this rosette is the bottom of a candlestick made by Dawud ibn Salama in 1248/9 (646 AH).

Raby suggested that Ibrahim ibn Mawaliya "may have been a seminal figure" in the Mosul brasswork industry.The particular phrasing of the "benedictory inscriptions" on his objects, bestowing good luck on their owners, is repeated in several works by other Mosul craftsmen.Two assistants of Ibrahim ibn Mawaliya's are known: histilmidh(apprentice) Isma'il ibn Ward, and hisghulamQasim ibn Ali.Ahmad al-Dhaki's workshop was possibly also "intimately connected to others in Mosul".

The Mosul metalwork is the only example in the Muslim world where metalworkers recorded their relationships between masters and apprentices (tilmidh) and hirelings (ajir).This was apparently a point of pride for Mosul artisans.Julian Raby speculated that two elaborate but impractically tiny Mosuli objects, a tiny 6x4 cm box made by Isma'il ibn Ward and an anonymous 8-cm-tall bucket, were made as "credential work" by apprentice or journeyman metalworkers as part of a test to be accepted into a craftsman's guild.

According to Raby, the Mosul metalwork may have been part of the gifts that Badr al-Din Lu'lu' gave to other rulers to appease them as part of hisrealpolitikdiplomacy.

Another notable item tentatively attributed to Mosul metalworkers is theCourtauld bag,which is believed to be the world's oldest survivinghandbag.It was likely made for a noblewomen of theIlkhanateduring the early 1300s.

Ottoman period

Conquest of Mosul (Nineveh) by Mustafa Pasha in 1631, a Turkish soldier in the foreground holding a severed head. L., C. (Stecher) 1631 -1650

Map of Mosul in 1778, byCarsten Niebuhr

What started as irregular attacks in 1517 were finalized in 1538, whenOttomanSultanSuleiman the Magnificentadded Mosulto his empire by capturing it from his archrival,Safavid Persia.Thenceforth Mosul was governed by apasha.Mosul was celebrated for its line of walls, comprising seven gates with large towers, a renowned hospital (maristan) and a covered market (qaysariyya), and its fabrics and flourishing trades.

Mesopotamiahad been acquired by theOttoman Empirein 1555 by thePeace of Amasya,but until theTreaty of Zuhabin 1639 Ottoman control over Mesopotamia was not decisive.After the Peace of Amasya, the Safavids recaptured most of Mesopotamia one more time during the reign of kingAbbas I(r. 1588–1629). Among the newly appointed Safavid governors of Mesopotamia during those years wasQasem Sultan Afshar,who was appointed governor of Mosul in 1622.Before 1638, the Ottomans considered Mosul "still a mere fortress, important for its strategic position as an offensive platform for Ottoman campaigns into Iraq, as well as a defensive stronghold and staging post guarding the approaches toAnatoliaand to the Syrian coast. Then, with the Ottoman reconquest of Baghdad (1638), theliwaof Mosul became an independentwilaya."

Despite being a part of the Ottoman Empire, during the four centuries of Ottoman rule Mosul was considered "the most independent district" within the Middle East, following the Roman model of indirect rule through local notables."Mosuli culture developed less along Ottoman–Turkish lines than along Iraqi–Arab lines; and Turkish, the official language of the State, was certainly not the dominant language in the province."

In line with its status as a politically stable trade route between theMediterraneanand thePersian Gulf,Mosul developed considerably during the 17th and early 18th centuries. Like the development of theMamlukdynasty in Baghdad, during this time "theJalili familywas establishing itself as the undisputed master of Mosul "and" helping to connect Mosul with a pre-Ottoman, pre-Turcoman,pre-Mongol,Arab cultural heritage that was to put the town on its way to recapturing some of the prestige and prominence it had enjoyed under the golden reign ofBadr ad-Din Lu’lu’."

Along with theal-Umariand Tasin al-Mufti families, the Jalilis formed an "urban-based small and medium gentry and a new landed elite", which proceeded to displace the control of previous rural tribes.Such families establish themselves through private enterprise, solidifying their influence and assets through rents on land and taxes on manufacturing.

As well as by elected officials, Mosul's social architecture was highly influenced by theDominican fatherswho arrived in Mosul in 1750, sent byPope Benedict XIV(Mosul had a large Christian population, predominantly indigenousAssyrians).In 1873 they were followed by the Dominican nuns, who established schools, health clinics, a printing press, an orphanage, and workshops to teach girls sewing and embroidery.A congregation of Dominican sisters founded in the 19th century still had its motherhouse in Mosul in the early 21st century. Over 120 Assyrian Iraqi Sisters belonged to this congregation.

In the 19th century the Ottoman government started to reclaim central control over its outlying provinces. Their aim was to "restore Ottoman law, and rejuvenate the military" and to revive "a secure tax base for the government".In order to reestablish rule, in 1834 the sultan abolished public elections for governor, and began "neutraliz[ing] local families such as theJalilisand their class "and appointing new, non-Maslawi governors directly. In line with its reintegration within central government rule, Mosul was required to conform to new Ottoman reform legislation, including the standardization oftariffrates, the consolidation of internal taxes and the integration of the administrative apparatus with the central government.

This process started in 1834 with the appointment ofBayraktarMehmed Pasha, who was to rule Mosul for the next four years. After his reign, the Ottoman government (wishing still to restrain the influence of powerful local families) appointed a series of governors in rapid succession, ruling "for only a brief period before being sent somewhere else to govern, making it impossible for any of them to achieve a substantial local power base."Mosul's importance as a trading center declined after the opening of theSuez Canal,which enabled goods to travel to and from India by sea rather than by land through Mosul.

A coffee house in Mosul, 1914

Mosul was the capital ofMosul Vilayet,one of the threevilayets(provinces) ofOttoman Iraq,with a brief break in 1623, whenPersiaseized the city.

1918 to 1990s

At the end of World War I in October 1918, after theArmistice of Mudros,British forces occupied Mosul. After the war, the city and surrounding area became part of the British-occupied Iraq (1918–1920) and thenMandatory Iraq(1920–1932). This mandatewas contestedby Turkey, which continued to claim the area on the grounds that it was under Ottoman control during the signature of the Armistice.

In theTreaty of Lausanne,the dispute over Mosul was left for future resolution by theLeague of Nations.In 1926, Iraq's possession of Mosul was confirmed by theLeague of Nations' brokered agreement between Turkey and Great Britain. Former OttomanMosul Vilayetbecame theNineveh Governorateof Iraq, but Mosul remained the provincial capital.

Mosul in 1932. The leaning minaret ofGreat Mosque of al-Nurigave the city its nickname "the hunchback" (الحدباء al-Ḥadbāˈ).

Mosul's fortunes revived with the discovery ofoilin the area, from the late 1920s onward. It became a nexus for the movement of oil via truck and pipeline to Turkey and Syria. Qyuarrah Refinery was built within about an hour's drive from the city and was used to process tar for road-building projects. It was damaged but not destroyed during theIran–Iraq War.

The opening of theUniversity of Mosulin 1967 enabled the education of many in the city and surrounding area.

Mosul, 1968

Iraqi police, U.S. soldiers patrol neighborhood in Mosul, March 19, 2007.

After Iraq's1991 uprisings,Mosul was included in the northernno-fly zoneimposed and patrolled by the United States and Britain between 1991 and 2003.

Although this preventedSaddam's forces from mounting large-scale military operations again in the region, it did not stop his regime from implementing a steady policy of "Arabisation" by which the demography of some areas of Nineveh Governorate were gradually changed. Despite this program, Mosul and its surrounding towns and villages remained home to a mixture ofArabs,Kurds,Assyrians,Armenians,Turkmens,Shabaks,a fewJews,and isolated populations ofYazidis,Mandeans,KawliyaandCircassians.

Saddam was able to garrison portions of the 5th Army within Mosul, hadMosul International Airportunder military control, and recruited heavily from Mosul for his military's officer corps. This may have been because most of the Iraqi Army officers and generals were from Mosul long before the Saddam regime.

2003 American led invasion

Saddam Hussein's sonsQusayandUdaywere killed in a gun battle in Mosul on July 22, 2003.

When the2003 invasion of Iraqwas being planned, the United States had originally intended to base troops in Turkey and mount a thrust into northern Iraq to capture Mosul, but the Turkish parliament refused to grant permission for the operation. When theIraq Warbroke out in March 2003, U.S. military activity in the area was confined to strategic bombing withairdroppedspecial forcesin the vicinity. Mosul fell on 11 April 2003, when the Iraqi Army 5th Corps, loyal to Saddam, abandoned the city and surrendered two days after the fall of Baghdad. U.S. Army Special Forces with Kurdish fighters quickly took civil control of the city. Thereafter began widespread looting before an agreement was reached to cede overall control to U.S. forces.

On 22 July 2003, Saddam Hussein's sons,Uday HusseinandQusay Hussein,were killed in a gun battle with Coalition forces in Mosul after a failed attempt at their capture.Mosul also served as the operational base for theUS Army's101st Airborne Divisionduring the occupational phase of theOperation Iraqi Freedom.During its tenure, the 101st Airborne Division was able to extensively survey the city and, advised by the 431stCivil AffairsBattalion, non-governmental organizations, and the people of Mosul, began reconstruction work by employing the people of Mosul in security, electricity, local governance, drinking water, wastewater, trash disposal, roads, bridges, and environmental concerns.

Other U.S. Army units to have occupied the city include the 4th Brigade Combat Team of the 1st Cavalry Division, the 172ndStrykerBrigade, the 3rd Brigade-2nd Infantry Division,18th Engineer Brigade (Combat), Alpha Company 14th Engineer Battalion-555th Combat Engineer Brigade, 1st Brigade-25th Infantry Division,the 511th Military Police Company, the 812th Military Police Company and company-size units fromReserve components,an element of the 364th Civil Affairs Brigade, and the 404th Civil Affairs Battalion, which covered the areas north of the Green Line.The 67th Combat Support Hospital (CSH) deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) from January 2004 to January 2005, running split based operations in Mosul and Tikrit. The Task Force (TF) 67 Headquarters and Company B operated out of Forward Operating Base (FOB) Diamondback (Mosul), and Company A operating out of FOB Speicher (Tikrit).

On24 June 2004,a coordinated series of car bombs killed 62 people, many of them policemen.

On 21 December 2004, 14 U.S. soldiers, four American employees ofHalliburton,and four Iraqi soldierswere killed in a suicide attackon a dining hall at theForward Operating Base(FOB) Marez next to the main U.S. military airfield at Mosul.The Pentagonreported that 72 other personnel were injured in the attack, carried out by asuicide bomberwearing an explosive vest and the uniform of the Iraqi security services. TheIslamistgroupArmy of Ansar al-Sunna(partly evolved fromAnsar al-Islam) took responsibility for the attack in an online statement.

In December 2007, Iraq reopenedMosul International Airport.AnIraqi Airwaysflight carried 152Hajjpilgrims to Baghdad, the first commercial flight since U.S. forces declared a no-fly zone in 1993, though further commercial flight remained prohibited.On 23 January 2008, an explosion in an apartment building killed 36 people. The next day, a suicide bomber dressed as a police officer assassinated the local police chief, Brigadier General Salah Mohammed al-Jubouri, the director of police for Nineveh province, as he toured the site of the blast.

In May 2008, US-backed Iraqi Army Forces led by Major General Riyadh Jalal Tawfiq, the commander of military operations in Mosul, launched a military offensive of theNinawa campaignin hopes of bringing stability and security to the city.The representatives of Mosul in theIraqi Parliament,the intellectuals of the city, and other concerned humanitarian groups agreed on the pressing need for a solution to the city's unbearable conditions, but still believed the solution was political and administrative. They also questioned whether such a large-scale military offensive would spare the lives of innocent people.

All these factors deprived the city of its historical, scientific and intellectual foundations between 2003 and 2008, when many scientists, professors, academics, doctors, health professionals, engineers, lawyers, journalists, religious clergy (both Muslim and Christian), historians, as well as professionals and artists, were either killed or forced to leave the city under the threat of being shot, exactly as happened elsewhere in Iraq in those years.

In 2008, manyAssyrian Christians(about 12,000) fled the city, followinga wave of murders and threatsagainst their community. The murder of a dozen Assyrians, threats that others would be murdered unless they converted to Islam, and the destruction of their houses sparked a rapid exodus of the Christian population. Some fled to Syria and Turkey; others were given shelter in churches and monasteries. Accusations were exchanged between Sunni fundamentalists and some Kurdish groups of being behind this new exodus. Some claims linked it to the provincial elections of January 2009, and the related Assyrian Christians' demands for broader representation in the provincial councils.

Government by the Islamic State

Main article:Islamic State occupation of Mosul

Mosul was attacked on 4 June 2014. After six days of fighting, on 10 June the Islamic Statetook over the cityduring theJune 2014 Northern Iraq offensive.By August, the city's new ISIL administration was dysfunctional, with frequent power cuts, a tainted water supply, collapse of infrastructure, and failing health care.

On June 10, 2014, theIslamic Statecaptured Mosul,after the Iraqi troops stationed there withdrew.Troop shortages and infighting among top officers and Iraqi political leaders played into ISIL's hands and fueled panic that led to the city's abandonment.Half a million people escaped on foot or by car during the next two days.According to western and pro-Iraqi government press, Mosul residents were de facto prisoners,forbidden to leave the city unless they left ISIL a significant collateral of family members, personal wealth and property. They could then leave after paying a significant "departure tax"for a three-day pass (for a higher fee they could surrender their home, pay the fee and leave for good) and if those with a three-day pass failed to return within that time, their assets would be seized and their family killed.

Humvee down after Islamic State attack in 2014

ISOFon the street of Mosul, 16 November 2016. The city was liberated in 2017.

Ali Ghaidan, a former commander of the Iraqi ground forces, accusedal-Malikiof being the one who issued the order to withdraw from the city.A short period of time after,Al-Malikicalled for a nationalstate of emergencyon 10 June following the attack on Mosul, which had been seized overnight. Despite the security crisis,Iraq's parliamentdid not allow Maliki to declare a state of emergency; many legislators boycotted the session because they opposed expanding the prime minister's powers, since his reign has been described as sectarian by both Iraqis and western analysts, as well allegations of corruption, with hundreds of billions of dollars allegedly vanishing from government coffers.

After more than two years of ISIL occupation of Mosul,Iraqi forces,with the help of American and French forces, launched a joint offensive to recapture it on 16 October 2016.Thebattle for Mosulwas considered key in themilitary intervention against ISIL.A military offensive to retake the city was the largest deployment of Iraqi forces since the2003 invasionby U.S. and coalition forcesOn 9 July 2017, Prime MinisterHaider Al-Abadiarrived in preparation to announce the full liberation and reclamation of Mosul after three years of ISIL control.A formal declaration was made on the next day.The battle continued for another couple of weeks in the Old City before Iraqi forces regained full control of Mosul on 21 July 2017.According toKurdish intelligence,tens of thousands of civilians were killed in the battle, and most of the city was destroyed by Coalition airstrikes and Iraqi shelling.

Demographics

Asouk(traditional market) in Mosul, 1932

According to Salahuddin Khuda Bakhsh, the Arab geographerIbn Hawqalwas at Mosul in 969 AD (358 AH) He called it a "fine town with excellent markets, surrounded by fertile districts of which the most celebrated was that round Nineveh where theProphet Jonahwas buried. In the tenth century, the population consisted ofKurdsandArabs,and the numerous districts round Mosul, occupying allDiyar Rabi'a,are carefully enumerated by Ibn Hawkal. "

In the 20th century, Mosul was indicative of Iraq's mingling ethnic and religious cultures, with a Kurdish majority.

Today Mosul has aSunniArabmajority in urban areas, such as downtown Mosul west of theTigris;across the Tigris and further north in the suburban areas, thousands ofAssyrians,Kurds,Turkmens,Shabaks,Yazidis,ArmeniansandMandeansmade up the rest of Mosul's population.Shabakswere concentrated on the city's eastern outskirts.

Religion

Celebration at the Syriac Orthodox Monastery in Mosul, early 20th century

Mosul has a predominantlySunniMuslim population. The city also had an ancientJewishpopulation. Like their counterparts elsewhere in Iraq, most were forced out in 1950–51. MostIraqi Jewshave moved to Israel, and some to the United States.In 2003, during theIraq War,a rabbi in the American army found an abandoned, dilapidated synagogue in Mosul dating to the 13th century.

During ISIL's occupation, religious minorities were targeted to convert to Islam, pay tribute (jizya) money, leave, or be killed.The persecution of Christians in Mosul and the surrounding Nineveh Plains removed a Christian community that had been present in the region since the 1st century.

Infrastructure

View of theTigrisriver in Mosul

TheMosul Damwas built in the 1980s to supply Mosul with hydroelectricity and water. Despite this, water supply cuts are still common.

Five bridges cross the Tigris in Mosul, known from north to south as:

• Al Shohada Bridge (or "Third Bridge" )
• Fifth Bridge
• Old Bridge (or "Iron Bridge", or "First Bridge" )
• Al Huriya Bridge (literally "Freedom Bridge", also known as "Second Bridge" ): located about 1 km north of the 4th bridge and 0.8 km south of the 1st bridge, the al-Huriya Bridge connects the neighborhoods of Bab at-Tawb on the west bank and al-Faisaliyyah on the east bank.It was built between 1955-58 by German, French, and Dutch companies.Made of steel with concrete supports, the bridge has 6 spans and is 340 m long.A two-way street with one lane in each direction goes across the bridge, and there is also a sidewalk on both sides.Before the bridge's destruction in 2016, an estimated 10,495 vehicles crossed the bridge per day, for a total of some 3.8 million vehicles per year.In October 2016, a US airstrike destroyed the bridge's first span (starting from the left) along with the left-bank approach.Later, bombings by the Islamic State destroyed three more spans (the 4th, 5th, and 6th) and damaged the last two (2nd and 3rd spans).In the aftermath, Iraqi Army forces installed a temporary pontoon bridge 0.2 km north of the al-Huriya Bridge to provide an alternate route for commuters.
• Fourth Bridge

During theBattle of Mosul (2016–17)betweenISILand the Iraqi Army supported by aninternational coalition,two bridges were 'damaged' by coalition airstrikes in October 2016, two others in November, and the Old Bridge was 'disabled' in early December.According to the BBC, in late December the bridges were targeted to disrupt the resupply of ISIL forces in East Mosul from West Mosul.In January 2017, CNN reported that ISIL itself had 'destroyed' all bridges to slow the Iraqi ground troops' advance, citing Iraqi commander Lieutenant General Abdul Amir Rasheed Yarallah.

During the last stages of the battle to retake Mosul,Lise Grandestated that per an initial assessment, basic infrastructure repair would cost over 1 billionUSD.She stated that while stabilization in east Mosul could be achieved in two months, in some districts of Mosul it might take years, with six out of 44 districts almost completely destroyed. Every district of Mosul received light or moderate damage.Per theUnited Nations,15 of the 54 residential districts in the western half of Mosul were heavily damaged while at least 23 were moderately damaged.

Mosul is served byMosul International Airport.

Geography

Mosul stands 223 meters above sea level in theUpper Mesopotamiaregion of the Middle East. To the south west of Mosul is theSyrian Desertand to the East is theZagros Mountains.

Climate

Mosul has ahot semi-arid climate(BSh), verging on theMediterranean climate(Csa), with extremely hot, prolonged, dry summers, brief mild shoulder seasons, and moderately wet (and occasionally snowy), relatively cool winters.

Climate data for Mosul (1991-2020)
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °C (°F)	21.2 (70.2)	26.9 (80.4)	31.8 (89.2)	36.5 (97.7)	43.2 (109.8)	47.4 (117.3)	49.4 (120.9)	49.3 (120.7)	46.5 (115.7)	42.2 (108.0)	32.5 (90.5)	28.4 (83.1)	49.4 (120.9)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	13.1 (55.6)	15.4 (59.7)	20.0 (68.0)	25.9 (78.6)	33.2 (91.8)	39.8 (103.6)	43.4 (110.1)	43.3 (109.9)	38.5 (101.3)	31.9 (89.4)	21.6 (70.9)	15.1 (59.2)	28.4 (83.2)
Daily mean °C (°F)	7.4 (45.3)	9.3 (48.7)	13.3 (55.9)	18.5 (65.3)	25.1 (77.2)	31.5 (88.7)	34.8 (94.6)	34.1 (93.4)	28.8 (83.8)	22.2 (72.0)	14.8 (58.6)	9.6 (49.3)	20.8 (69.4)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	2.6 (36.7)	3.8 (38.8)	7.5 (45.5)	11.5 (52.7)	16.6 (61.9)	21.7 (71.1)	25.4 (77.7)	24.8 (76.6)	20.0 (68.0)	14.6 (58.3)	7.9 (46.2)	4.1 (39.4)	13.4 (56.1)
Record low °C (°F)	−17.6 (0.3)	−12.3 (9.9)	−5.8 (21.6)	−4.0 (24.8)	1.8 (35.2)	6.8 (44.2)	11.6 (52.9)	12.9 (55.2)	8.9 (48.0)	−2.6 (27.3)	−6.1 (21.0)	−15.4 (4.3)	−17.6 (0.3)
Averageprecipitationmm (inches)	61.6 (2.43)	53.9 (2.12)	59.4 (2.34)	46.1 (1.81)	17.5 (0.69)	1.2 (0.05)	0.2 (0.01)	0.0 (0.0)	0.6 (0.02)	12.7 (0.50)	41.7 (1.64)	61.9 (2.44)	356.8 (14.05)
Average precipitation days	11	11	12	9	6	0	0	0	0	5	7	10	71
Averagerelative humidity(%)	79.0	73.0	66.3	62.1	44.2	29.3	26.2	27.4	32.0	43.8	63.1	76.5	51.9
Mean monthlysunshine hours	158	165	192	210	310	363	384	369	321	267	189	155	3,083
Source 1:World Meteorological Organisation(precipitation days 1976-2008)
Source 2:Weatherbase(extremes only),Meteomanz(extremes since 2009)

Historical and religious buildings

Mosul is rich in old historical places and ancient buildings:mosques,castles,churches,monasteries,andschools,many of which havearchitecturalfeatures anddecorativework of significance. The town centre is dominated by a maze of streets and 19th-century houses. The markets are known for the mixture of people who jostle there:Arabs,Kurds,Assyrians,Iraqi Jews,Iraqi Turkmens,Armenians,Yazidi,Mandeans,RomaniandShabaks.

TheMosul Museumcontains many finds from the ancient sites of the old Assyrian capital cities Nineveh andNimrud.It is laid-out around a courtyard and with a façade of Mosul marble containing displays of Mosul life depicted in tableau form.On February 26, 2015, ISIL militantsdestroyedthe museum's ancient Assyrian artifacts.

The English writerAgatha Christielived in Mosul while her second husband,Max Mallowan,an archaeologist, was involved in the excavation inNimrud.

Mosques and shrines

Main article:Islamic sites of Mosul

Mosul Grand Mosque

• Umayyad Mosque: The first ever in the city, built in 640 AD by Utba bin Farqad al-Salami after he conquered Mosul in the reign of CaliphUmar ibn al-Khattab.The only original part extant to recent times was the remarkably elaborate brickwork 52m highminaretthat leans like theLeaning Tower of Pisa,called Al-Hadba (The Humped). It was largely destroyed during the Battle of Mosul.
• The Great (Nuriddin) Mosque:Built by NuriddinZangiin 1172 AD next door to the Umayyad Mosque.Ibn Battuta(the great Moroccan traveller) found a marble fountain there and a mihrab (the niche that indicates the direction ofMecca) with a Kufic inscription. It was destroyed during the Battle of Mosul.
• Mujahidi Mosque: The mosque dates back to 12th century AD, and is distinguished for its shendome and elaborately wroughtmihrab.
• Prophet Younis Mosque and Shrine: Located east of the city, and included the tomb ofProphet Younis(Jonah), dating back to the 8th century BC, with a tooth of the whale that swallowed and later released him. It was completely demolished by IS in July 2014.
• Prophet Jirjis Mosque and Shrine: The late 14th century mosque and shrine honoring ProphetJirjis(George) was built over the Quraysh cemetery. It was destroyed by IS in July 2014.
• Prophet Daniel Shrine: A Tomb attributed toProphet Danielwas destroyed by IS in July 2014.
• Hamou Qado (Hema Kado) Mosque: AnOttoman-era mosque in the central Maydan area built in 1881, and officially named Mosque of Abdulla Ibn Chalabi Ibn Abdul-Qadi.It was destroyed by IS in March 2015 because it contained atombthat was revered and visited by local Muslims on Thursdays and Fridays.

Churches and monasteries

Main article:List of churches and monasteries in Nineveh

Mar Mattai Monasteryof theSyriac Orthodox Church

Church of Saint Thomas, Mosul

Mosul had the highest proportion of Assyrian Christians of all the Iraqi cities outside of the Kurdish region, and contains several interesting old churches, some of which originally date back to the early centuries of Christianity. Its ancient Assyrian churches are often hidden and their entrances in thick walls are not easy to find. Some of them have suffered from excessive restoration.

• Shamoun Al-Safa (St. Peter, Mar Petros): This church dates from the 13th century is and named after Shamoun Al-Safa or St. Peter (Mar Petros in Assyrian Aramaic). Earlier it had the name of the two Apostles, Peter and Paul, and was inhabited by the nuns of the Sacred Hearts.
• Church of St. Thomas(Mar Touma in Assyrian Aramaic): One of the oldest historical churches, named after St. Thomas the Apostle who preached the Gospel in the East, including India. The exact time of its foundation is unknown, but it was before 770 AD, since Al-Mahdi, the Abbasid Caliph, is mentioned as listening to a grievance concerning this church on his trip to Mosul.
• Mar Petion Church: Mar Petion, educated by his cousin in a monastery, was martyred in 446 AD. It is the first Chaldean Catholic church in Mosul, after the union of many Assyrians with Rome in the 17th century. It dates back to the 10th century, and lies 3 m below street level. This church suffered destruction, and it has been reconstructed many times. A hall was built on one of its three parts in 1942. As a result, most of its artistic features have been severely damaged.
• Ancient Tahira Church (The Immaculate): Near Bash Tapia, considered one of the most ancient churches in Mosul. No evidence helps to determine its exact area. It could be either the remnants of the church of the Upper Monastery or the ruined Mar Zena Church. Al-Tahira Church dates back to the 7th century, and it lies 3 m below street level. Reconstructed last in 1743.
• Al-Tahera Church:Syriac Catholic Churchcompleted in 1862.
• Mar Hudeni Church: It was named after MarAhudemmeh(Hudeni) Maphrian of Tikrit who was martyred in 575 AD. Mar Hudeni is an old church of the Tikritans in Mosul. It dates back to the 10th century, lies 7 m below street level and was first reconstructed in 1970. People can get mineral water from the well in its yard. The chain, fixed in the wall, is thought to cure epileptics.
• St. George's Monastery (Mar Gurguis): One of the oldest churches in Mosul, named after St. George, located to the north of Mosul, was probably built late in the 17th century. Pilgrims from different parts of the Northvisit it yearly in the spring, when many people also go out to its whereabouts on holiday.It is about 6 m below street level. A modern church was built over the old one in 1931, abolishing much of its archeological significance. The only monuments left are a marble door-frame decorated with a carved Estrangelo (Syriac) inscription, and two niches, which date back to the 13th or 14th century.
• Mar Matte:This monastery is situated about 20 km (12 mi) east of Mosul on the top of a high mountain (Mount Maqloub). It was built by Mar Matte, a monk who fled with several other monks in 362 AD from the Monastery of Zuknin near the City of Amid (Diyarbakir) in the southern part of Asia Minor (modern Turkey) and the north of Iraq during the reign of Emperor Julian the Apostate (361–363 AD). It has a precious library containing Syrianic scriptures.
• Monastery of Mar Behnam:Also called Deir Al-Jubb (The Cistern Monastery) and built in the 12th or 13th century, it lies in the Nineveh Plain near Nimrud about 32 km (20 mi) southwest of Mosul. The monastery, a great fort-like building, rises next to the tomb of Mar Behnam, a prince who was killed by theSassanians,perhaps during the 4th century AD. A legend made him a son of an Assyrian king.
• St. Elijah's Monastery(Dair Mar Elia): Dating from the 6th century, it was the oldest Christian Monastery in Iraq, until its destruction byISin January 2016.

Other Christian historical buildings:

• The Roman Catholic Church (built by the Dominican Fathers in Nineveh Street in 1893)
• Mar Michael
• Mar Elias
• Mar Oraha
• Rabban Hormizd Monastery,the monastery of Notre-Dame des Semences, near the Assyrian town ofAlqosh

Other sites

• Bash Tapia Castle:A ruined castle rising high over the Tigris, which was one of the few remnants of Mosul's old walls until it was blown up by IS in 2015.
• Qara Saray(The Black Palace): The remnants of the 13th-century palace of Sultan Badruddin Lu'lu'.

Painting

Old house in Mosul

The so-called Mosul School of Painting refers to a style of miniature painting that developed in northern Iraq in the late 12th to early 13th century under the patronage of theZangiddynasty (1127–1222). In technique and style the Mosul school was similar to the painting of theSeljuqTurks, who controlled Iraq at that time, but the Mosul artists had a sharper sense of realism based on the subject matter and degree of detail in the painting rather than on representation in three dimensions, which did not occur. Most of the Mosul iconography was Seljuq—for example, the use of figures seated cross-legged in a frontal position. Certain symbolic elements, however, such as the crescent and serpents, were derived from the classical Mesopotamian repertory.

Most Mosul paintings were manuscript illustrations—mainly scientific works, animal books, and lyric poetry. Afrontispiecepainting, now held in theBibliothèque nationale,Paris, dating from a late 12th century copy ofGalen's medical treatise, the Kitab al-diriyak ( "Book of Antidotes" ), is a good example of the earlier work of the Mosul school. It depicts four figures surrounding a central, seated figure who holds a crescent-shaped halo. The painting is in a variety of whole hues; reds, blues, greens, and gold. TheKüficlettering is blue. The total effect is best described as majestic.

Another mid-13th century frontispiece held in theNationalbibliothek,Vienna, to another copy of the same text suggests the quality of later Mosul painting. There is realism in its depiction of the preparation of a ruler's meal and of horsemen engaged in various activities, and the painting is as many hued as that of the early Mosul school, yet it is somehow less spirited. The composition is more elaborate but less successful. By this time the Baghdad school, which combined the styles of the Syrian and early Mosul schools, had begun to dominate. With the invasion of the Mongols in the mid-13th century the Mosul school came to an end, but its achievements were influential in both the Mamluk and the Mongol schools of miniature painting.

Education

TheUniversity of Mosulis the largest university in Mosul.Other schools of higher education include Ninevah University, Al-Hadbaa University College, and the Northern Technical University.

Mosul also has multiple highschools some of which are coeducational while others are gender segregated. These include but are not limited to:

• Al-Hafsah School
• Al-Haj Secondary School for Girls
• Kourtoba High School for Girls
• Al-Mouhobeen Secondary School for Boys and Girls
• Al-Mustaqbal High School for Boys
• Al-Mutamaizat High School for Girls
• Al-Mutamaizeen High School for Boys
• Al-Resalah Al-Islamia (Al-Resalah) High School for Boys
• Al-Sharqiya High School for Boys

Sport

The city has onefootballteam capable of competing in the top-flight of Iraqi football –Mosul FC.

Al Mosul University Stadium is the home stadium to Mosul FC and can hold up to 20,000 people.

Mosul university Stadium

The University of Mosul contains a College of Physical Education and Sports Science which teaches undergraduate and graduate students and performs research in three scientific departments.

Media

Newspapers

• Ash-Shabibah,a defunct daily newspaper

Notable people

• Abdulahad AbdulNour(1888–1948), physician and humanitarian
• Thabit AbdulNour(1890–1957), Iraqi Politician, Government Administrator, and Diplomat
• Zaha Hadid,noted architect and first woman to win the Pritzker award. Was named "dame" by Queen Elizabeth II.
• Al Jalili, Hussein Pasha,raised and led army to defend Mosul against Persian Shah Nadir Shah, 1743.
• Al Jalili, Ismael,Eye doctor who discovered and researched theJalili syndrome.
• Al Jamil, Sayyar,Historian and political analyst.
• Abu Al Soof, Behnam,Archeologist, anthropologist, historian and writer of Christian ancestry.
• Tariq Aziz,AssyrianDeputy Prime Minister 1979–2003 (real name Michael Youkhanna) (fromTel Keppe)
• Munir Bashir,Assyrian musician who had several successes in the Mideast during the 20th century
• Asenath Barzani,firstJewishfemale rabbi
• Vian Dakhil,Yazidimember of theIraqi parliament.
• Hawar Mulla Mohammed,KurdishIraqi soccer player for the national team
• Paulos Faraj Rahho,Assyrian Chaldean Catholic Archbishop of Mosul, assassinated 2008
• Taha Yassin Ramadan,Kurdishformer Vice President of Iraq
• Hormuzd Rassam,Assyrian Archaeologist and diplomat of the 19th century
• Kathem Al Saher,Arab Iraqi pop singer, songwriter, actor, and musician
• Adnan Koucher,Iraqi scholar
• Salah al-Din al-Sabbagh,Arab Iraqi Army officer
• Salah Salim Ali, Norwegian Iraqi Writer and translator, author of Ibsen i Arabia.
• Ignatius Gabriel I Tappouni,Assyrian Patriarch of Antioch and all east for theSyriac Catholic Churchbetween 1929 and 1968, Church Father of theSecond Vatican Counciland the firstEastern Riteprelateto be raised to theCollege of Cardinalssince the reign ofPope Pius IX
• Behnam Afas,Iraqi-New Zealander author and researcher into the role of Christian scholars and missionaries
• Ghazi Mashal Ajil al-Yawer,Arab Interim President of Iraq during 2004–05
• Ignatius Zakka I,Assyrian Patriarch of Antioch and all east for theSyriac Orthodox Church
• Omar Mohammed,historian and citizen journalist, creator of theMosul Eyenews blog.
• Loris Ohannes Chobanian,Armenian-American composer and professor atBaldwin Wallace University

See also

• List of largest cities of Iraq
• List of rulers of Mosul
• University of Mosul
• Iraq
• Nineveh Governorate
• Mosul District
• Assyrian homeland
• Asteroid22292 Mosulnamed after the city in 2018
• Battle of Mosul (2016–2017)
• Chaldean Catholic Archeparchy of Mosul
• Mosul question
• Nineveh Plains

Sources

See also:Bibliography of the history of Mosul

• Nasiri, Ali Naqi; Floor, Willem M. (2008).Titles and Emoluments in Safavid Iran: A Third Manual of Safavid Administration.Mage Publishers. p. 309.ISBN978-1933823232.
• Oberling, P. (1984). "AFŠĀR".Encyclopaedia Iranica, Vol. I, Fasc. 6.pp. 582–586. Archived fromthe originalon 2011-04-29.
• Rothman, E. Nathalie (2015).Brokering Empire: Trans-Imperial Subjects between Venice and Istanbul.Cornell University Press.ISBN978-0801463129.

External links

• Iraq Image – Mosul Satellite Observation
• Detailed map of Mosulby theNational Imagery and Mapping Agency,from lib.utexas.edu
• ArchNet.org."Mosul".Cambridge, Massachusetts, US: MIT School of Architecture and Planning. Archived fromthe originalon 2012-12-10.Retrieved2013-04-15.