Location: Mosul, Iraq
Client: Ruprecht-Karls Universität Heidelberg
Realization: since 2018 ongoing
Subject: Emergency safeguarding, Site management, Conservation
Cooperation Partners : State Board of Antiquities and Heritage Iraq

After capturing the city of Mosul, IS troops in July 2014 blew up the so called Nebi Yunus Mosque with the tomb of the prophet Jonah. The mosque was located on Tell Nebi Yunus that burries the ruins of a royal palace in the Assyrian city of Nineveh.
Heidelberg University is investigating the archaeological features of the palace since 2018. The demolition of the mosque and the subsequent creation of looting tunnels by Daesh created an extremely critical situation. The work carried out in the first few years was aimed at securing the archaeological findings and creating safe working conditions for the archaeological investigations.
The mosque has since been rebuilt. The long-term preservation goal is to present the outstanding archaeological finds together with the reconstructed mosque.