Iraq: The leaning minaret known as 'al- Hadba' (the hunchback) and the Great Mosque of al-Nuri, Mosul, 1932

The Great Mosque of al-Nuri is a historical mosque in Mosul, Iraq famous for its leaning minaret. Tradition holds that Nur ad-Din Zangi built the mosque in 1172-73, shortly before his death. According to the chronicle of Ibn al-Athir, after Nur ad-Din took control of Mosul he ordered his nephew Fakhr al-Din to build the mosque.

The structure was targeted by ISIS militants who occupied Mosul on June 10, 2014 and previously destroyed the Tomb of Jonah. However residents of Mosul incensed with the destruction of their cultural sites protected the mosque by forming a human chain and forming a resistance against ISIS.

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