Mosul الموصل
Tigris River and bridge in Mosul
Mosul
Coordinates: 36°02′N 43°07′E / 36.033, 43.117
Country	Iraq
Governorate	Ninawa
District	Mosul
Population
- Urban	2,339,800
Time zone	GMT +4 (UTC)

Mosul (Arabic: الموصل‎, Al Mūṣul),(Kurdish: Mosul/Ninawa),(Turkish: Musul) is a city in northern Iraq and the capital of the Ninawa Governorate, some 396 km (250 miles) northwest of Baghdad. Wikipedia talkFeatured lists for an explanation of this and other inclusion tags below -->This list of countries, arranged alphabetically For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Iraq topics. Ninawa ( Arabic: نینوى Kurdish: Neynewa, Aramaic: ܢܝܢܘܐ Nîněwâ) is a governorate Arabic (ar الْعَرَبيّة (informally ar عَرَبيْ) in terms of the number of speakers is the largest living member of the Semitic language Turkish ( tr Türkçe IPA) is a language spoken by over 63 million people worldwide making it the most commonly spoken of the Turkic languages. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Iraq topics. Ninawa ( Arabic: نینوى Kurdish: Neynewa, Aramaic: ܢܝܢܘܐ Nîněwâ) is a governorate Baghdad (بغداد) is the Capital of Iraq and of Baghdad Governorate, with which it is also coterminous The original city stands on the west bank of the Tigris River, opposite the ancient city of Nineveh on the east bank, but the metropolitan area has now grown to encompass substantial areas on both banks, with five bridges linking the two sides. The Tigris is the eastern member of the two great Rivers that define Mesopotamia, along with the Euphrates, which flows from the mountains of southeastern Nineveh ( Akkadian: Ninua; Aramaic: ܢܝܢܘܐ Hebrew נינוה Nīnewē; Arabic نينوى Naīnuwa) Despite having a large Kurdish population it does not form part of the area controlled by the Kurdistan Regional Government. The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG ( Kurdish: حكومه تى هه ريمى كوردستان Hikûmetî Herêmî Kurdistan,) is the official ruling body

The fabric Muslin, long manufactured here, is named for this city. Muslin is a type of finely-woven Cotton fabric, introduced to Europe from the Middle East in the 17th century Another historically important product of the area is Mosul marble. Marble is a nonfoliated Metamorphic rock resulting from the Metamorphism of Limestone, composed mostly of Calcite (a crystalline form of

In 1987, the city's population was 664,221 people; the 2004 population estimate was 2,339,800, and by 2008, population was estimated to be 2,600,000. ^[1] It is Iraq's second largest city after Baghdad, and substantially larger than Basra, the third largest city of Iraq. Basra ( BGN: AlBasrah also called Basorah Abillah and Uruk or IRAQ The name that British colony has adopted for Basra

The city of Mosul is home to the University of Mosul, one of the largest educational and research centers in Iraq and the Middle East. The University of Mosul is a Public university located in Mosul Iraq. The Middle East is a Subcontinent with no clear boundaries often used as a synonym to Near East, in opposition to Far East. ^[2]

The city is also a historic center for the Nestorian Christianity of the Assyrians, containing the tombs of several Old Testament prophets such as Jonah and Nahum. Nestorius Nestorius (c  386 &ndashc  451) was a pupil of Theodore of Mopsuestia in Antioch in Syria (modern Christianity ( Greek Χριστιανισμός from the word Xριστός ( Christ)is a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings In Western Christianity, the Old Testament refers to the books that form the first of the two-part Christian Biblical canon. According to the Hebrew Bible ( Tanakh / Old Testament) and Qur'an, Jonah (; Arabic: يونس, Yunus or Nahum ( Hebrew: נַחוּם Naḥūm) was a Minor prophet whose prophecy is recorded in the Hebrew Bible.

Name

The name of the city is an Arabic-language name with many meanings, one of which is "the linking point". Arabic (ar الْعَرَبيّة (informally ar عَرَبيْ) in terms of the number of speakers is the largest living member of the Semitic language Another Arabic name for the city is Um Al-Rabi'ain (The City of Two Springs), because autumn and spring are very much alike there. The Assyrians call the city by its ancient name, Nineveh. The Assyrians are an Ethnic group whose origins lie in what is today Iraq, Iran, Turkey and Syria.

It is also named Al-Faiha (The Paradise), Al-Khadhra (The Green), and Al-Hadba (The Humped), and sometimes described as "The Pearl of the North". ^[3]

People

A souk (traditional market) in Mosul city northern Iraq, 1932

This city is indicative of the mingling ethnic and religious cultures of Iraq, where people lived in harmony for centuries. A souk (سوق also sook, souq, or suq, or shuq in Hebrew שוק is a highly fashioned commercial quarter in an Arab or Berber There is a clear Arab majority in urban areas, such as downtown Mosul on the Tigris. The araB gene Promoter is a bacterial promoter activated by e L-arabinose binding The Tigris is the eastern member of the two great Rivers that define Mesopotamia, along with the Euphrates, which flows from the mountains of southeastern Across the Tigris and further north in the suburban areas, thousands of Kurds, Assyrians and Turkomans make up the rest of Mosul's population. The Assyrians are an Ethnic group whose origins lie in what is today Iraq, Iran, Turkey and Syria. The Iraqi Turkmen (also spelled Turkomen, Turcoman, and Turkman) ( Turkish: Irak Türkmenleri) are a distinct Turkic ^[4]

The population of Mosul has progressively become a mixture of Arabs, Kurds, Armenians, Assyrians, and Turkomans, since 1958 when Iraqi Prime minister Abd al-Karim Qasim encouraged Kurds and other minorities to resettle inside Mosul as part of a plan to integrate other ethnic groups into the major cosmopolitan areas of Iraq. The araB gene Promoter is a bacterial promoter activated by e L-arabinose binding The Armenians (Հայեր Hayer) are a Nation and Ethnic group originating in the Caucasus and in the Armenian Highlands A large Abd al-Karim Qasim (عبد الكريم قاسم) (1914 – February 9 1963 was a nationalist Iraqi Military officer who seized power in a 1958 These plans were counteracted in the 1980s by former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein and his Baath party, which forced some of those minorities to move outside the city, back into Kurdish regions. Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti ( Arabic: ar صدام حسين عبد المجيد التكريتي --> April 28 1937 &ndash December 30 The Arab Socialist Ba'th Party (also spelled Baath or Ba'ath; Arabic: حزب البعث العربي الاشتراكي was founded in Damascus

The city is close to the Kurdish regions of Iraq and is considered by some Kurdish officials to be traditionally Kurdish, and situated in what was historically the Kurdistan region. Iraqi Kurdistan Region ( Kurdish: هه رێمى كوردستان Herêmi Kurdistan, Arabic:إقليم كردستان العراق, Iqlĩm Kurdistãn History See also History of the Kurdish people Ancient period See also Hurrians, Guti, Mannaeans, Medes There have been some demands from Kurdish parties that Mosul should be included in the Kurdish regional government. Kurdish fighters have been moving into the city since the fall of the Ba'ath government, causing some tensions with the Sunni Arabs of the city. Clashes erupted in recent months, between Sunni Arabs in Mosul and Kurdish fighters entering the city from the Kurdish regional governorates. ^[5]

The majority of people in Mosul are Muslims, though Mosul does have the highest proportion of Christians of all Iraqi cities. A Muslim (مسلم pronounced Muslim, not Muzlim) is an adherent of the Religion A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth Other religions, such as Yazidi, also call Mosul home. The world's principal Religions and spiritual traditions may be classified into a small number of major groups or world religions'. The Yazidi (also Yezidi, Kurdish: ئزیدی or Êzidî, Arabic: يزيدي or ايزدي Assyrian/Syriac: ܓ̰ܠܟܝܐ is a ^[6][7]

Long before the Muslim conquest of the 7th century, the old city Nineveh Christianized when the Assyrians converted to Christianity during the 1st and 2nd centuries. The historical phenomenon of Christianization (or Christianisation &mdash see spelling differences) the conversion of individuals to Christianity

Despite institutional ethnic persecution by various political powers, including the Ba'ath Party regime, Mosul has maintained a multi-cultural and multi-religious mosaic. The Arab Socialist Ba'th Party (also spelled Baath or Ba'ath; Arabic: حزب البعث العربي الاشتراكي was founded in Damascus The difficult history of Mosul, however, still contributes to tensions among its modern inhabitants.

Language

The language of the Arab people in Mosul is a special dialect of Arabic, partially influenced by the Syrian dialect, due to the proximity of Mosul to Syria. A dialect (from the Greek word διάλεκτος dialektos) is a variety of a Language that is characteristic of a particular group of Syria ( سوريّة or) officially the Syrian Arab Republic (Arabic ar الجمهورية العربية السورية This dialect is sometimes described as the feminine version of the Iraqi dialect (see Syrian Arabic). Iraqi Arabic (also known as Mesopotamian Arabic 639-3 Mesopotamian Qeltu Arabic Mesopotamian Gelet Arabic Baghdadi Arabic Furati 'Arabi Arabi North Syrian Arabic is a Syrian Arabic ( اللهجة السورية) is a Levantine Variety of Arabic spoken in Syria. It puts more emphasis on "gh" (replacing "r"), and more emphasis is laid on the "qa" (replacing the "gh"). The Kurds of Mosul speak the Kurmanji dialect of Kurdish, known as Behdini in the region. For the dialect sometimes called Southern Kurmanji Dialect see: Sorani Kurmanji: ( Kurdish: Kurmancî called Bahdînî The Kurdish language (Kurdish Kurdî or کوردی is a term used for the language spoken by Kurds. There is a substantial Turkish-speaking Turkoman population. Other languages such as Armenian and Assyrian (Syriac) are also spoken among their communities. The Armenian language (hy հայերեն լեզու hajɛɹɛn lɛzu —, conventional short form) is an Indo-European language spoken by the Armenian See Syriac (disambiguation for other uses Syriac (syr ܠܫܢܐ ܣܘܪܝܝܐ leššānā Suryāyā) is an Eastern Aramaic language

Arabic is the primary language of communication, education, business and official work, known to the majority of the city's residents.

Maslawi

The term "Maslawi" may refer to a person who is from the city of Mosul. Maslawi does not indicate one's ethnicity or religion. Maslawi also refers to the particular dialect of Arabic spoken in the Mosul area.

History

Ancient and Ottoman Mosul

a coffee house in Mosul, 1914

The area around Mosul has been continuously inhabited for at least 8,000 years. Year 1914 ( MCMXIV) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year Built on the site of an earlier Mitanni-Kurdish fortress, Mosul succeeded Nineveh which was founded by the Mitannis as an outpost or citadel located on the hill of Q'leat on the right bank of the Tigris, across from the ancient city of Nineveh (now the town of Ninewa) on the left bank. Mitanni ( Hittite cuneiform, also Mittani) or Hanigalbat ( Assyrian Hanigalbat Khanigalbat cuneiform) Mitanni ( Hittite cuneiform, also Mittani) or Hanigalbat ( Assyrian Hanigalbat Khanigalbat cuneiform) A citadel is a fortress for protecting a Town, sometimes incorporating a Castle.

In approximately 850 BC, King Ashurnasirpal II of Assyria chose the city of Nimrud to build his capital city where present day Mosul is located. Ashur-nasir-pal II ( Transliteration: Aššur-nâṣir-apli, meaning " Ashur is guardian of the heir" was king of Assyria from 884 BC-859 Early history The most Neolithic site in Assyria is at Tell Hassuna, the center of the Hassuna culture In approximately 700 BC, King Sennacherib made Nineveh the new capital of Assyria. Sennacherib ( Akkadian Sîn-ahhe-eriba "(moon god Sîn has replaced (lost brothers for me" was the son of Sargon II, whom he The mound of Kuyunjik in Mosul is the site of the palaces of King Sennacherib and his grandson Ashurbanipal, who established the Library of Ashurbanipal. Ashurbanipal ( Akkadian: Aššur-bāni-apli, " Ashur has made a son" or "Ashur created an heir" (b The Royal Library of Ashurbanipal, named after Ashurbanipal, the last great king of the Neo-Assyrian Empire, is a collection of thousands of Clay tablets

Mosul later succeeded Nineveh as the Tigris bridgehead of the road that linked Syria and Anatolia with Median Empire. Anatolia (Anadolu Ανατολία Anatolía) or Asia minor, comprising most of modern Turkey, is the geographic region bounded by the Black The Medes were an ancient Iranian people who lived in the northwestern portions of present-day Iran. In 612 BC, the Mede emperor Cyaxares, together with the alliance of Nabopolassar the Chaldean, conquered Nineveh. The Medes were an ancient Iranian people who lived in the northwestern portions of present-day Iran. Cyaxares, Hvakhshathra, or Kayxosrew (𐎢𐎺𐎧𐏁𐎫𐎼 Uvaxštra, Greek Κυαξαρης; r Nabopolassar ( Akkadian: Nabû-apal-usur) was the first king (ruled 625-605 BC of the Neo-Babylonian Empire.

Mosul became an important commercial center of the Median Empire and Persian Empire in the 6th century BC. The Medes were an ancient Iranian people who lived in the northwestern portions of present-day Iran. The Persian Empire was a series of Iranian empires that ruled over the Iranian plateau, the original Persian homeland and beyond in Western Asia It became part of the Seleucid Empire after Alexander's conquests in 332 BC before being re-taken by indegenous Iranians under the Parthian Empire in 224 BC. The Seleucid Empire /sə'lusɪd/ ( 312 - 63 BC) was a Hellenistic empire i The Parthian capital of Ctesiphon was sacked and conquered by the Roman Empire under Emperor Trajan, but quickly reverted back to the Parthian Iranians. For the Spanish saint see Ctesiphon of Vergium. Ctesiphon (قطسيفون تیسفون was one of the great cities of the Persian Empire The Roman Empire was the post-Republican phase of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial Marcus Ulpius Nerva Traianus, commonly known as Trajan ( September 18 53 &ndash August 9 117) was a Roman Emperor who ^[8]

The city changed hands once again with the rise of Sassanid Persia in 225 AD before falling to Utba bin Farqad Al-Salami in 637 AD during the period of the Caliph Umar ibn al-Khattab. The Sassanid Empire or Sassanian Dynasty or Sassanian Dynasty (ساسانیان) is the name used for the third Iranian dynasty and the second Persian empire Utba bin Farqad Al-Salami was a General under Muslim Caliph Umar ibn al-Khattab. The Caliph is the Head of state in a Caliphate, and the title for the leader of the Islamic Ummah, an Islamic community ruled by the Shari'ah Umar (a=عمر بن الخطاب|t=`Umar ibn al-Khattāb c 581-83 CE &ndash 7 November, 644) also known as Umar the Great or Omar the Great

Mosul was promoted to the status of capital of Mesopotamia under the Umayyads in the 8th century, during which it reached a peak of prosperity. Mesopotamia (from the Greek meaning "land between the rivers" is an area geographically located between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers largely corresponding During the Abbassid era it was an important trading centre because of its strategic location, astride the trade routes to India, Persia and the Mediterranean. India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country

In 1127 it became the centre of power of the Zengid dynasty. The Zengid (or Zangid) dynasty was a Muslim Dynasty of Turkish origin which ruled parts of Northern Iraq and Syria during Saladin besieged the city unsuccessfully in 1182 but in the 13th century it was conquered and destroyed by the Mongols; although it was later rebuilt under the rule of the Ottoman Empire and remained important, it did not regain its earlier grandeur. Salahadin Ayyubi ( Arabic:صلاح الدين يوسف بن أيوب Kurdish: سه‌لاحه‌دین ئه‌یوبی Selah'edînê Eyubî; c The Ottoman Empire (1299–1923 ( Old Ottoman Turkish: دولتْ علیّه عثمانیّه Devlet-i Âliye-yi Osmâniyye, Late Ottoman and Modern Turkish

It remained under Ottoman control until 1918, with a brief break in 1623 when Persia seized the city for a short time, and was the capital of Mosul Vilayet one of the three vilayets (provinces) of Ottoman Iraq. In 1879 Mosul Vilayet (province was separated from Baghdad Vilayet. A wilāyah (ولاية or vilâyet (in Persian and Ottoman Turkish) is an administrative division usually A province is a territorial unit almost always an Administrative division.

Mosul in the 20th century

The biggest Mosque in Mosul now under construction originally planned and founded by Saddam Hussein

Mosul's importance as a strategic trading centre declined after the opening of the Suez Canal, which enabled goods to travel to and from India by sea rather than by land across Iraq and through Mosul. The Suez Canal is a Canal in Egypt. Opened in 1869 it allows Water transportation between Europe and Asia without circumnavigation However, the city's fortunes revived greatly with the discovery of oil in the area, from the late 1920s onwards. Petroleum ( L petroleum, from Greek πετρέλαιον, lit It became a nexus for the movement of oil via truck and pipeline to both Turkey and Syria. Turkey (Türkiye known officially as the Republic of Turkey ( is a Eurasian Country that stretches Qyuarrah Refinery was built within about an hour's drive from the city and was used to process oil for road-building projects. It was damaged but not destroyed during the Iran-Iraq War. Mosul provides a key portion of the country's electrical needs via Mosul Dam and several neighbouring thermal turbine facilities. Mosul Dam ( Arabic, سد الموصل) formerly known as Saddam Dam ( Arabic,سد صدام is the largest Dam in Iraq

The construction of University of Mosul in 1967 enabled the education of many in the city and surrounding areas, and it features excellent engineering and linguistics departments among its many other academic offerings.

The region had been part of the Ottoman Empire from 1534 until the end of World War I in 1918. World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All ^[9] The possibility of dissolving this Empire became real with the Great War, since Germany was the ally of the Ottoman Empire. World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. Secret agreements between the French and the British government (known as the Sykes-Picot Agreement) decided in 1916 to draw a straight line from the Jordan heights to Iran: where the northern zone (Syria, and later the upcoming Lebanon) would be under French influence, and the southern zone (Jordan, Iraq, and later, after renegotiations in 1917, Palestine) would be under British influence. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Iran topics. Lebanon (ˈlɛbənɒn Arabic: ar لبنان Lubnān) officially the Republic of Lebanon or Lebanese Republic (ar الجمهورية اللبنانية Jordan, officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan (الأردنّ al-Urdunn) is an Arab country in Southwest Asia spanning the southern Palestine is a name which has been widely used since Roman times to refer to the region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River. Mosul was in the northern zone, and would have become a Syrian city; but early discoveries of oil in the region just before the end of the war (1918), pushed the British government to yet another negotiation with the French; to include the region of Mosul into the southern zone (or the British zone). The border line that divides the two sides has not changed since 1918, but it has set the fate of the modern Middle East for the coming century with the raising of different countries from the Ottoman Empire.

At the end of World War I in October 1918, British forces occupied Mosul. After the war, the city and the surrounding area became part of the British mandate of Iraq. However, this mandate was contested by Turkey which continued to claim the area. Iraq's possession of Mosul was confirmed by the League of Nations in 1926 and the Treaty of Lausanne between Great Britain, Iraq and Turkey. The League of Nations was an International organization founded as a result of the Treaty of Versailles in 1919–1920 The Treaty of Lausanne ( July 24, 1923) was a Peace treaty signed in Lausanne that settled the Anatolian part of the Partitioning

Some of the villages and towns around Mosul with its large Kurdish population were significantly affected by the 1991 rebellion suppression by the deposed former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, during the 1991 Kurdish-mounted, unsuccessful revolt against the regime. In the wake of the revolt's failure, a swathe of Kurdish-populated territory in the north and northeast of Iraq fell under the control of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan and Kurdistan Democratic Party, which established autonomous (and de facto independent) rule in the region. The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK (est 1975 (یەکیتیا نیشتمانیا کوردستان is a Kurdish Political party in Iraqi Kurdistan. Mosul did not fall within the Kurdish-ruled area, but it was included in the no-fly zones imposed and patrolled by the United States and Britain between 1991 and 2003. A no-fly zone is a territory over which Aircraft are not permitted to fly The United States of America —commonly referred to as the

Although this prevented Saddam's forces from mounting large-scale military operations again in the region, it did not stop the regime from implementing a steady policy of "Arabisation" by which the demography of some areas of Ninawa Governorate were gradually changed. Despite the program Mosul and its surrounding villages remained home to a mixture of Arabs, Kurds, Syriacs, Turkomans, a few Jews, and isolated populations of Yazidis. PLEASE TAKE NOTE************ The Yazidi (also Yezidi, Kurdish: ئزیدی or Êzidî, Arabic: يزيدي or ايزدي Assyrian/Syriac: ܓ̰ܠܟܝܐ is a Saddam was however able to garrison portions of the 5th Army within the Mosul city, had the international flight capable airport under military control, and recruited heavily from the city for his military's officer corps; this may be due to the fact that most of the officers and generals of the Iraqi Army were from Mosul long before the Saddam regime era.

Mosul after Saddam

When the 2003 invasion of Iraq was being planned, the United States had originally intended to base troops in Turkey and mount a thrust into northern Iraq to capture Mosul and the strategically vital oilfields there. The 2003 invasion of Iraq, from March 20 to May 1 2003 was spearheaded by the United States, backed by British forces and smaller contingents from Australia However, the Turkish parliament refused to grant permission for the operation. When the war did break out in March 2003, US military activity in the area was confined to strategic bombing with airdropped special forces operating in the vicinity. An airdrop is a type of Airlift, developed during World War II to resupply otherwise inaccessible troops, who themselves may have been Airborne In most countries special forces (SF is a generic term for highly-trained Military teams/units that conduct specialized operations such as Reconnaissance The city fell on April 11, 2003, when the Saddam-loyal Iraqi Army 5th Corps, abandoned it and eventually surrendered, two days after the fall of Baghdad. Events 491 - Flavius Anastasius becomes Byzantine Emperor, with the name of Anastasius I. Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. Kurdish fighters took civil control of the city, and started what eventually became a widespread looting by first breaking into the banks and government offices, especially looting government vehicles from garages at sites and breaking into employee's houses demanding the cars, which were taken to Kurdistan in large numbers. The US military did not intervene to stop the looting but denied the local police from continuing their job in these crucial days and told them to quit their positions. Kurdish forces made off with heavy machines and military weapons, much to the alarm of Turkey (which feared a Kurdish bid for independence, as well as a sympathetic response from the large Kurdish population in the south of Turkey and the east of Syria). The Kurdish forces had to promise the United States that they would leave town, and they were replaced by US forces. On April 15, 2003, US troops fired on a mob of anti-occupation protesters in Mosul after a confusing firefire that included US troops, Iraqi police and looters. Events 1450 - Battle of Formigny: Toward the end of the Hundred Years' War, the French attack and nearly annihilate English Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. At least three Iraqis were killed and many more were injured. ^[10]

On July 22, 2003, Saddam Hussein's sons, Uday Hussein and Qusay Hussein, were attacked and killed by Coalition forces in Mosul. Events 1099 - First Crusade: Godfrey of Bouillon is elected the first Defender of the Holy Sepulchre of The Kingdom of Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. Uday Saddam Hussein al-Tikriti (18 June 1964 Baghdad &ndash 22 July 2003 Mosul) (عُدي صدّام حُسين was the eldest son of Saddam Hussein Qusay Saddam Hussein al-Tikriti (قصي صدام حسين (or Qusai) ( May 17, 1966 &ndash July 22, 2003) was the second son A coalition is an alliance among individuals during which they cooperate in joint action, each in their own Self-interest. The brothers were killed in a gunbattle that ensued after a failed attempt at their apprehension. ^[11] The city also served as the operational base for the US Army's 101st Airborne Division during the occupational phase of Operation Iraqi Freedom. The United States Army is a military organization whose primary mission is to "provide necessary forces and capabilities. The 2003 invasion of Iraq, from March 20 to May 1 2003 was spearheaded by the United States, backed by British forces and smaller contingents from Australia During its tenure, the 101st Airborne Division was able to extensively survey the city and, advised by the 431st Civil Affairs Battalion, non governmental organizations, and the people of Mosul, began reconstruction work by employing the people of Mosul in the arenas of security, electricity, local governance, drinking water, wastewater, trash, roads, bridges, and environmental concerns^[12]. Other U. S. Army units to have occupied the city have been the 172nd Stryker Brigade, 3rd Brigade-2nd Infantry Division, 1st Brigade-25th Infantry Division, and company-size units from Reserve components.

In November 2004, concurrently with the US and Iraqi attack on the city of Fallujah, the Battle of Mosul (2004) began. For other meanings see Fallujah (disambiguation. Fallujah (الفلوجة sometimes transliterated The Battle for Mosul was a battle fought during the Iraq War in 2004 for the capital of the Ninawa Governorate in northern Iraq that occurred On the 10th, insurgents conducted coordinated attacks on the police stations. The policemen that weren't killed in the fighting fled the city, leaving Mosul without any civil police force for about a month. However, soon after the insurgents' campaign to overrun the city had begun, elements from the 25th Infantry Division and components from the Multinational force comprised mainly of Albanian forces, took the offensive and began to maneuver into the most dangerous parts of the city. Fighting continued well into the 11th with the insurgents on the defensive and U. S. forces scouring neighborhoods for any resistance.

The memorial that stands outside the entrance to the Dining Hall on FOB Marez where the December 21, 2004 suicide attack occurred. Events 69 - The end of the Year of the four emperors: Following Galba, Otho and Vitellius, Vespasian "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again "

On December 21, 2004, fourteen U. Events 69 - The end of the Year of the four emperors: Following Galba, Otho and Vitellius, Vespasian "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " S. soldiers, four American employees of Halliburton, and four Iraqi soldiers were killed in a suicide attack on a dining hall at the Forward Operating Base Marez next to the main U. Halliburton Energy Services ( is a US -based Multinational corporation with operations in more than 70 countries S. military airfield at Mosul. The Pentagon reported that 72 other personnel were injured in the attack carried out by a suicide bomber wearing an explosive vest and the uniform of the Iraqi security services. This article is about suicide attacks for political and/or military reasons The Islamic terrorist group Army of Ansar al-Sunna (partly evolved from Ansar al-Islam) declared responsibility for the attack in an Internet statement. Ansar al-Sunnah or Jamaat Ansar al-Sunnah or Group of the Protectors of Sunnah (faith (جماعة أنصار السنه, (formerly Jaish Ansar al-Sunna or Ansar al-Islam ( Arabic: انصار الاسلام, Supporters or Partisans of Islam is a Kurdish Sunni Islamist

In early 2005, the head of Mosul's anti-corruption unit Gen. Waleed Kashmoula was killed by a bomb which exploded outside his office. In October 2005, the Iraq Interior Department attempted to fire the police chief of Mosul. Mosul Sunni leaders saw it as a Kurdish grab for control over the police. In the end the police chief was replaced by a Sunni Arab, MG Wathiq Al Hamdani, who is a city resident.

In December 2007, Iraq reopened the airport in Mosul. An Iraqi Airways flight carried 152 Hajj pilgrims to Baghdad, the first commercial flight since US forces declared a no-fly zone in 1993. ^[13] But further commercial flights were prohibited, when a flight from Mosul airport were denied from landing in Baghdad airport by the american forces and was sent back to Mosul. On January 23, 2008, an explosion in an apartment building killed 36 people. Events 393 - Roman Emperor Theodosius I proclaims his nine year old son Honorius co-emperor 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common People of zanjili neighbourhood where the explosion took place testified in court and to the media that the explosion took place after many hours of total blockade of their neighbourhood imposed by joint US and kurdish forces "2nd division" for several hours. the joint forces warned the inhabitants of a coming explosion but prohibited the people from leaving their houses to a safer place. People wittnessed militiary conveying barrels into the building and the explosion came afterwards. The following day, a suicide bomber dressed as a police officer assassinated the local police chief, Brig. Gen. Salah Mohammed al-Jubouri, the director of police for Ninevah province, as he toured the site of the blast. ^[14]

Since November 2004 and until now the city of Mosul suffered tremendously due to deteriorated security conditions (including military actions as well threats and killing of innocent civilians by Terrorists and criminals), unprecedented violence levels (especially on ethnic bases), continuous destruction of the main infrastructures of the city and neglect and mismanagement by the the occupation forces, Nineveh Governerate Council, multiple political parties as well as the central Iraqi Government in Baghdad.

All these factors depraved the city of its historical scientific and intellectual foundations in the last 4 years when a large number of scientists, professors, academics, doctors, health professionals, engineers, lawyers, journalists, religious clergy (both Muslims and Christians), historians, as well the professionals and artists in all walks of life, were either killed or forced to leave the city under the threat of guns, exactly as it happens else were in Iraq in the years following 2003. ^{[15] [16] [17] [18]}

In May 10, 2008 a military offensive launched by US-backed Iraqi Army Forces led by Maj. Events 1291 - Scottish Nobles recognize the authority of Edward I of England. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Gen. Riyadh Jalal Tawfiq, the commander of military operations in Mosul in the hope of bringing back stability and security to the city [1]. Even though the representatives of Mosul in the Iraqi Parliament as well as the intellectuals of the city and other concerned humanitarian groups agreed on the essential urge for a solution to the unbearable conditions of the city, yet they still believe that the solution is merely political and administrative, they are also questioning whether such a large scale military offensive will spare the lives of innocent lives. ^[19]

Despite all the odds, the citizens of Mosul are vowed to bring stability and prosperity to Mosul and to rebuild the city and regain its historical and cultural rules as one of the three major cities in Iraq and one of the first historic metropolitans of the World.

Historical places

Al-Hadba Minaret of the Umayyad Mosque in downtown Mosul

Mosul is rich in old historical places and ancient buildings: mosques, castles, churches, monasteries, schools, most of which abound in architectural features and decorative works of significance. A "mosque" in English refers to all types of buildings dedicated for Islamic worship although there is a distinction in Arabic between the smaller privately owned mosque and the larger A castle is a defensive structure seen as one of the main symbols of the Middle Ages. A church building is a Building or Structure whose primary purpose is to facilitate the meeting of a church. This article concerns the buildings occupied by monastics. For the life inside monasteries and its historical roots see Monasticism. A school (from Greek σχολεῖον - scholeion) is an Institution designed to allow and encourage Students (or "pupils" The term architecture (from Greek αρχιτεκτονικήarchitektoniki) can be used to mean a process a profession or documentation NOTICE TO WOULD-BE-ROMEOS*************** The town center is dominated by a maze of streets and attractive 19th century houses. There are old houses here of beauty. The markets are particularly interesting not simply for themselves alone but for the mixture of types who jostle there: Arabs, Kurds, Assyrians & Turkmen.

The Mosul Museum contains many interesting finds from the ancient sites of the old Assyrian capital cities Nineveh and Nimrud. Nimrud is an ancient Assyrian city located south of Nineveh on the river Tigris. The Mosul house is a beautiful, old-style building, constructed around a central courtyard and with an impressive facade of Mosul marble. It contains displays of Mosul life depicted in tableau form.

The famous English writer, Agatha Christie, lived in Mosul whilst her second husband, an archaeologist, was involved in the excavation in Nimrod. Agatha Mary Clarissa Lady Mallowan, DBE (née Miller; 15 September 1890 &ndash 12 January 1976 commonly known as Agatha Christie, was an English

Mosques and shrines

Main article: Mosques and shrines of Mosul

• Umayyad Mosque - The first ever in the city, built in 640 AD by Utba bin Farqad Al-Salami after he conquered Mosul in the reign of Caliph umar ibn Al-Khattab. This article concerns the mosques and shrines of Mosul. The Umayyad Mosque The first ever in the city built in 640 AD by Utba bin Farqad Al-Salami Umar (a=عمر بن الخطاب|t=`Umar ibn al-Khattāb c 581-83 CE &ndash 7 November, 644) also known as Umar the Great or Omar the Great The only part still extant is the remarkably elaborate brickwork 52 m high minaret that leans like the Tower of Pisa, called Al-Hadba (The Humped).
• The Great (Nuriddin) Mosque - Built by Nuriddin Zanki in 1172 AD next door to the Umayyad Mosque. Ibn Battuta (the great Tunisian traveller) found a marble fountain there and a mihrab (the niche that indicates the direction of Mecca) with a Kufic inscription. Abu Abdullah Muhammad Ibn Abdullah Al Lawati Al Tanji Ibn Battuta (أبو عبد الله محمد ابن عبد الله اللواتي الطنجي بن بطوطة (born February Mecca ˈmɛkə also spelled Makkah ˈmækə (in full Makkah Al-Mukarramah (Arabic mækːæ(t ælmʊkarˑamæ مكّة المكرمة, literally Honored

Nabi Yunus (Prophet Jonah) Mosque on Al-Tawba Mountain in Mosul City

• Mosque of the Prophet Yunus or Younis (jonah) - On one of the two most prominent mounds of Nineveh ruins, rises the Mosque (an Nestorian-Assyrian Church before) of Prophet Younis "Biblical Jonah". According to the Hebrew Bible ( Tanakh / Old Testament) and Qur'an, Jonah (; Arabic: يونس, Yunus or A "mosque" in English refers to all types of buildings dedicated for Islamic worship although there is a distinction in Arabic between the smaller privately owned mosque and the larger In Religion, a prophet (or prophetess) is a person who has encountered the Supernatural or the divine and serves as an intermediary According to the Hebrew Bible ( Tanakh / Old Testament) and Qur'an, Jonah (; Arabic: يونس, Yunus or Jonah the son of Amittai, from the 8th century BC, is believed to be buried here, and where King Esarhaddon had once built a palace. Amittai ( Hebrew: אֲמִתַּי English æˈmɪtaɪ a biblical character was the father of Jonah the prophet It is one of the most important mosques in Mosul and one of the few historic mosques that are found in the east side of the city.
• Mujahidi Mosque - The mosque dates back to 12th century AD, and is distinguished for its beautiful dome and elaborately wrought (mihrab).
• Mosque of the Prophet Jerjis (Georges) - The mosque is believed to be the burial place of Prophet Jerjis. Built of marble with beautiful reliefs and renovated last in 1393 AD. It was mentioned by the explorer Ibn Jubair in the 12th century AD, and is believed also to embrace the tomb of Al-Hur bin Yousif.
• Mashad Yahya Abul Kassem - On the right bank of Tigris, known for its conical dome, decorative brick-work and calligraphy engraved in Mosul blue marble, 13th century.
• Bash Tapia Castle - Part of Mosul's old walls which has disappeared, with the exception of these imposing ruins rising high over Tigris.
• Qara Serai (The Black Palace) - The remnants of the 13th century palace of Sultan Badruddin Lu'lu'.

Churches and monasteries

Main article: Churches and monasteries of Mosul

Mosul has the highest proportion of Christians of all the Iraqi cities, and contains several interesting old churches, some of which originally date back to the early centuries of Christianity. Churches and monasteries of Mosul. Mosul has the highest proportion of Christians of all the Iraqi cities and contains several interesting old churches some of Its ancient churches are often hidden and their entrances in thick walls are not easy to find. Some of them have suffered from overmuch restoration.

• Shamoun Al-Safa (St. Peter) - The oldest church in Mosul, it dates from the 13th century and named after Shamoun Al-Safa or St. Peter. Previously, it had the name of the two Apostles, Peter and Paul and had previously been inhabited by the nuns of the Sacred Hearts.
• Church of St. Thomas - One of the oldest historical churches, named after St. Thomas the Apostle who preached the Gospel in the East, including India. The exact time of its foundation is unknown, but it can be assumed that it dates prior to 770 AD, since reference tell that Al-Mahdi, the Abbasid Caliph, listened to a grievance concerning this church on his trip to Mosul.
• Mar Petion Church - Mar Petion who was educated by his cousin in monastery, was martyred in 446 AD. It is the first Chaldean Catholic church in Mosul, after the union of the Assyro-Nestorians with Rome. It dates back prior to the 10th century, and lies 3 m below street level. This church suffered destruction, and it has been reconstructed many times. A hall has been built on one of its three parts in 1942. As a result to that, most of artistic features have been confused.
• Ancient Tahira Church (The Immaculate) - Near Bash Tapia, considered one of the most ancient churches in Mosul. No evidence helps to determine its exact area. It could be either the remnants of the church of the Upper Monastery or the ruined Mar Zena Church. Al-Tahira Church dates back to the 7th century, and it lies 3 m below street level. Reconstructed last in 1743.
• Mar Hudeni Church - It was named after Mar Ahudemmeh (Hudeni) Maphrian of Tikrit who martyred in 575 AD. Mar Hudeni is an old church of the Tikritans in Mosul. It dates back to the 10th century, and lies 7 m below street level. First reconstructed in 1970. People can get mineral water from the well in its yard. The chain, fixed in the wall, is thought to cure epileptics.
• St. George's Monastery (Mar Gurguis) - One of the oldest churches in Mosul, named after St. George, located to the north of Mosul. Most probably built late in the 17th century. Pilgrims from different parts of the North visit it annually in the spring, when many people also go out to its environs on holiday. It is about 6 m below street level. A modern church was built over the old one in 1931 abolished much of its archeological significance. The only monuments left are a marble door-frame decorated with carved Estrangelo (Syriac) inscription, and two niches, which date back to the 13th or 14th century.
• Mar Matte - This famous monastery is situated about 20 km east of Mosul on the top of a high mountain (Mount Maqloub). Mar Matti Monastery ( Syriac: ܕܝܪܐ ܕܡܪܝ ܡܬܝ Saint Matthew's Monastery, Arabic, دير مار متي) is located atop Mount Maqloub It was built by Mar Matte; a monk who fled with several other monks 362 AD from the Monastery of Zuknin near the City of Amid (Diyar Bakir) in the southern part of Asia Minor (Turkey nowadays) and the north of Iraq during the reign of Emperor Julian the Apostate (361-363 AD). It has a precious library containing Syrianic scriptures.
• Monastery of Mar Behnam - Also called Deir Al-Jubb (The Cistern Monastery), in the Nineveh Plain near Nimrud about 32 km southwest of Mosul, 12th or 13th century. The monastery is a great fort-like building rises next to the tomb of Mar Behnam a prince who was killed by the Sassanians, perhaps during the 4th century AD. A legend made him a son of an Assyrian king.
• St. Elijah's Monastery (Dair Mar Elia) - The oldest Christian Monastery in Iraq, it dates from the 6th Century. ^[20]

Other Christian historical buildings:

• The Roman Catholic Church (Built by the Dominican Fathers in Nineveh Street in 1893).
• Mar Michael
• Mar Elias
• Mar Oraha
• Rabban Hormizd -- The monastery of Notre-Dame des Semences

Famous births

See also: Maslawi

• Kathem Al Saher, famous Iraqi pop singer, songwriter, and musician
• Paulos Faraj Rahho, Chaldean Archbishop of Mosul, assassinated, late February or early March 2008
• Ghazi Mashal Ajil al-Yawer, Interim President of Iraq during 2004-2005
• Munir Bashir, most famous musician in the Middle east during the 20th century
• Asenath Barzani, first Jewish female rabbi
• Taha Yassin Ramadan, former Vice President of Iraq
• Hormuzd Rassam, assyriologist
• Hawar Mulla Mohammed Iraqi soccer player for the national team

See also

• Al-Mishraq- site of 2003 sulfur dioxide disaster
• List of Emirs of Mosul
• List of places in Iraq
• Iraqi insurgency
• Mosul International Airport
• Nineveh plains

References

External links

• Mosul in the Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition
• Mosul City in northern Iraq from sunysb. Events 164 BC - Judas Maccabaeus, son of Mattathias of the Hasmonean family restores the Temple in Jerusalem. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. The Columbia Encyclopedia is a highly regarded one-volume Encyclopedia produced by Columbia University Press and sold by the Gale Group. edu
• View of online encyclopedia on Mosul city
• Detailed map of Mosul by the National Imagery and Mapping Agency, from lib. The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency ( NGA) is an agency of the United States Government with the primary mission of collection analysis and utexas. edu
• The University of Mosul (in English)
• Mosul city in Time magazine
• Action for Mosul from almosul. org
• Mosul from GlobalSecurity. org
• Diary of a insurgent in retreat