Site managers of the Al-Nuri mosque in Mosul, Iraq, announced this week that they uncovered a historic find underneath the structure – a prayer room that dates back to the 12th century CE.
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The mosque is nicknamed "the hunchback" by locals due to its iconic tilted minaret, according to the World Monuments Fund, and the building is famously depicted on Iraq's 10,000-dinar banknote.
Al-Nuri is situated in the former Islamic State's "caliphate," and the mosque suffered a large amount of damage during past battles, which prompted an initiative to restore the structure. During the renovation work, excavators exposed the prayer room, along with four other spaces designated for ritual ablutions.
The director of the Iraqi government's Department of Antiquities and Heritage, Khaireddine Nasser, said the find not only granted experts "better knowledge of the surface of Al-Nuri mosque and this ancient prayer room, but also the ablution basins," AFP reported.
Nasser added that this discovery "amplifies the importance of this historical and archeological site."
The four ablution rooms, standing nearly 10 feet tall and just over 11 feet wide, were discovered almost 20 feet below the ground.
The mosque's restoration, set to conclude by the end of 2023, is being funded through a UNESCO initiative which aims to "revive the spirit of Mosul."
UNESCO received $100 million in funding during 2019 for the project, with about half of this sum contributed by the United Arab Emirates.
i24NEWS contributed to this report
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