UNESCO announced last week that the international design competition for the reconstruction of the historic Al-Nouri Mosque complex in Mosul, Iraq was won by an entry submitted by Egyptian architects.
 
The design competition was launched in November 2020 by UNESCO. The reconstruction project is a major component of UNESCO’s ambitious project - Revive the Spirit of Mosul- for the rehabilitation of the ancient city.
 
The winning design was selected by an international jury from among 123 entries, the United Nations body said in a statement.
 
'Courtyards Dialogue,' as the winning project is called, was presented by a team of four partners Salah El Din Samir Hareedy, Head of Team, Khaled Farid El-Deeb, Sherif Farag Ebrahim, and Tarek Ali Mohamed, and four designer rchitects Noha Mansour Ryan, Hager Abdel Ghani Gad, Mahmoud Saad Gamal, and Yousra Muhamed El-Baha, the statement said.
 
“The reconstruction of Al-Nouri Mosque complex, a historical site that is part of Mosul’s fabric and history, will be a landmark in the process of advancing the war-torn city’s reconciliation and social cohesion,” said the Director-General of UNESCO, Audrey Azoulay. “Heritage sites and historical monuments are powerful catalysts for people’s sense of belonging, of community, and identity. They are key to reviving the spirit of Mosul and of Iraq as a whole.”
 
Noura bint Mohammed Al Kaabi, United Arab Emirates Minister of Culture and Youth, said: “The selection of the winning design under the international competition for the reconstruction and rehabilitation of the Al-Nouri Mosque complex is a significant milestone under the ‘Revive the Spirit of Mosul’ initiative. In 2018, the UAE took the lead and joined UNESCO on this historic endeavor, inspired by the history and legacy of Mosul and the resilience and strength of its people.”
 
The winners, with backgrounds in heritage rehabilitation, urban planning and climate-based architecture, will now produce a more detailed design for the reconstruction of Al-Nouri complex, with a view to starting its building in the third quarter of 2021, the UNESCO statement said.
 
The project, it said, includes reconstruction of Al-Nouri’s historic prayer hall and the organic integration of the complex, the largest public space in the Old City of Mosul, in its urban surrounding through open public spaces with five entry points from surrounding streets.
 
While the prayer hall will look as it did before the 2017 destruction of Al-Nouri Mosque, it will feature notable improvements in the use of natural light and expanded spaces for women and dignitaries, that will connect to the main hall through a semi covered open structure which could also serve as an open space for prayer, according to the statement. The winning project further foresees the creation of enclosed gardens evocative of the historic houses and gardens that were located around the prayer hall prior to its remodelling in 1944.
 
Apart from the design contract award, the winning design will also receive a $50,000 prize. The runners-up will be awarded prizes in recognition of their work with  $30,000 given to a team from India, followed by $20,000 to an entry from Spain, $15,000 to a team in the USA, and $10,000 to a team of architects from the UAE, France, Turkey and Lebanon.
 
(Writing by SA Kader; Editing by Anoop Menon)
 
 
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