It was a war against the country's long history: In 2014, the terrorist militia known as the "Islamic State" (IS) began destroying memorials, monuments, churches and even mosques in conquered areas in Iraq and Syria.

This area, the heart of former Northern Mesopotamia, is considered to be the cradle of human civilization that was once the region's intellectual and cultural center.

Many buildings and cultural sites from that period time are listed UNESCO World Heritage Sites. But this was of little interest to IS fighters. Just as they devastated the ancient cities of Hatra and Nineveh, they attacked the northern Iraqi metropolis of Mosul, destroying places of worship and cultural sites. Rare books and manuscripts, as well as artifacts from libraries, museums and collections were destroyed or looted, while thousands of people were displaced. When the Iraqi army recaptured the city of Mosul in 2017, there was not much left of the city. Famous monuments lay in ruins and more than 130,000 homes had been destroyed. According to UNESCO, over 80% of the Old City was destroyed.

Since 2018, UNESCO, together with the Iraqi government, the........

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