A Major City in Northern Iraq

A city built on the Tigris

Located in Northern Iraq, Mosul is crossed by the Tigris River and one of its tributaries, the Khosr River. The city overlooks a fertile river valley, the Nineveh Plain and a vast region of semi-arid steppe plains.

The main city of Northern Iraq

The capital of Nineveh Governorate and second largest city in Iraq after Baghdad, Mosul had a population of over 2.5 million before its capture by Daesh in 2014. In 2022, it was home to approximately 1.8 million people. The city is undoubtedly the main metropolis of Northern Iraq and retains great economic and cultural importance despite the extensive damage it suffered during the war between 2014 and 2017.

The "City of Bridges”

The old city, built mainly during the medieval period, stands on the right (western) bank of the Tigris. This part of the city is characterised by a network of streets and alleys that developed organically within the citadel (Bash Tabiyya) and medieval walls, forming a semi-circle. The thoroughfares converge on the main religious monuments, notably the Great Mosque of al-Nuri. Facing the old city, on the opposite bank, is the site of ancient Nineveh. For hundreds of years the two banks were connected only by a boat bridge, until a series of five bridges was built in the 20th century. In recent decades, modern neighbourhoods have been built on both sides of the river, so that the city now covers almost 180 square kilometres.