UNESCO has unveiled plans for the reconstruction of the Al-Nouri Mosque complex in Mosul, Iraq. The proposal, titled “Courtyards Dialogue”, was pieced together by Egyptian architects Salah El Din Samir Hareedy, Khaled Farid El-Deeb, Sherif Farag Ebrahim, Tarek Ali Mohamed, Noha Mansour Ryan, Hager Abdel Ghani Gad, Mahmoud Saad Gamal, and Yousra Muhamed El-Baha.

Selected from among 123 entries, Courtyards Dialogue was the winning entry of an international architectural competition held by UNESCO as part of its Revive the Spirit of Mosul project. The initiative is an attempt to rehabilitate the city of Mosul after it was badly damaged during its occupation by ISIS between 2014 and 2017. 

"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," says UNESCO Director-General, Audrey Azoulay. 

The Courtyards Dialogue project, which was awarded a $50,000 prize for the competition, seeks to integrate the reconstructed mosque with the surrounding urban context. New entrances located at key points on the site will connect the outside community to the complex. Surrounding buildings across the site will be adorned in perforated brick and include facilities for education, social, and cultural activities. 

Al-Nouri’s historic prayer hall will be reconstructed to look as it did before its destruction. However, it will reopen with notable improvements, including more access to natural light, along with an attached semi-covered structure that will provide expanded spaces for women and dignitaries. The mosque’s leaning minaret will also be rebuilt as it was before. Courtyards Dialogue will also see the creation of enclosed gardens that reference the historic houses and gardens that were located around the prayer hall prior to its remodeling in 1944. 

The winning cohort includes architects with notable backgrounds in heritage rehabilitation, urban planning, and climate-based architecture. They will now produce a more detailed design for the reconstruction, with plans to begin construction in late 2021.