Since the liberation of Mosul in 2017, UNESCO has consistently sought to support the residents of the Old City and to bring life back to its neighborhoods.
Abu Suhaib is a 56 year old resident of the Al-Nouri Mosque Area in the Old City. The house where he lived with his family of five was severely damaged during the fighting that accompanied the city's liberation.
Abu Suhaib and his family are one of the beneficiaries of UNESCO’s “Reviving the Mosul and Basra Old Cities” project generously funded by the European Union, as part of flagship initiative “Revive the Spirit of Mosul”. His house is being restored with attention to its traditional design and its beautiful architectural features. Nearby public spaces and alleys are also being restored and improved, and public lighting installed.
Joy and appreciation were circulating in the old serpentine alleyways of the neighborhoods and the happiness of Abu Suhaib and his sons was palpable. "Thank you, UNESCO" were the words coming from their mouths and then there were other voices wishing that UNESCO would extend its intervention and recover other parts of the Old City in a spirit of hope for a bright, better future.
