Al-Nuri Mosque (Grand Mosque of al-Nuri) and Mosul Old City ruins

Al-Nuri Mosque, with its distinctive leaning minaret, was one of Mosul's oldest and most recognizable religious landmarks, dated in sources to roughly 850 years old. In June 2014 the head of the Islamic State group used the mosque to announce a self-declared caliphate, making the site a focal point of contemporary conflict narratives. During the Battle of Mosul (2016–2017) the mosque and its minaret were destroyed amid intense urban fighting; multiple independent news analyses report the mosque was blown up by IS militants as Iraqi forces were closing in and that the Old City suffered heavy damage and widespread rubble. Post-2017, the site has been the subject of international attention and restoration plans: UNESCO supervision and donor funding (including UAE commitments reported in reconstruction-focused sources) are cited for rebuilding the mosque and minaret as part of wider heritage recovery work in Mosul. Reporting emphasizes the site's symbolic cultural importance, debates over wartime destruction and responsibility, and the practical uncertainties around exact timelines and current accessibility as reconstruction progresses. Reported phenomena: the provided sources do not record any supernatural, paranormal, or folkloric phenomena associated with Al-Nuri Mosque or the surrounding Old City; all documentation in the supplied materials is secular, focusing on historical events, destruction, and reconstruction.