12th Century Prayer Room Found under Mosque in Iraq’s Mosul

Excavations around the Al-Nuri mosque in the old town of Iraq's northern city Mosul, which was heavily damaged by ISIS in 2017. (AFP)
Excavations around the Al-Nuri mosque in the old town of Iraq's northern city Mosul, which was heavily damaged by ISIS in 2017. (AFP)
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12th Century Prayer Room Found under Mosque in Iraq’s Mosul

Excavations around the Al-Nuri mosque in the old town of Iraq's northern city Mosul, which was heavily damaged by ISIS in 2017. (AFP)
Excavations around the Al-Nuri mosque in the old town of Iraq's northern city Mosul, which was heavily damaged by ISIS in 2017. (AFP)

The foundations of a prayer hall from the 12th century have been discovered under the Al-Nuri mosque -- where the ISIS group once proclaimed their so-called "caliphate" -- in Iraq's Mosul, site managers said Tuesday.

The mosque, which along with its iconic leaning minaret was severely damaged by ISIS during the battle to dislodge the jihadists from Mosul in 2017, has been undergoing reconstruction.

The prayer room was found during excavation underneath the mosque, according to Khaireddine Nasser, director of the department of antiquities and heritage in Nineveh province, of which Mosul is the capital.

Four additional rooms for the performance of ablutions were also discovered under the prayer room, Nasser said.

Those rooms "are interconnected and built of stone and plaster".

The discovery allows for "better knowledge of the surface of Al-Nuri mosque and this ancient prayer room, but also the ablution basins" found there.

Each ablution room measures three meters (almost 10 feet) in height and 3.5 meters in width, Nasser said.

"They are about six meters underground," he added.

He said the discovery "amplifies the importance of this historical and archaeological site".

The excavation was carried out by his department, with support from UNESCO and funding from the United Arab Emirates.

"The foundations of the old prayer hall are more extensive than those of the prayer hall built in the 1940s", he added.

The mosque was constructed in 1172, but much of it was destroyed and reconstructed in 1942, with the exception of its minaret, which endured.

UNESCO raised more than $100 million in 2019 as part of its initiative to "revive the spirit of Mosul". About half of the funds were pledged by the UAE.

Reconstruction work is expected to be completed by the end of 2023.



Smoke From Canadian Fires Reaches Europe, Says EU Climate Monitor

 This photo provided by the Manitoba government shows wildfires in Flin Flon, Manitoba, Canada on Tuesday, May 27, 2025. (Manitoba government via AP)
This photo provided by the Manitoba government shows wildfires in Flin Flon, Manitoba, Canada on Tuesday, May 27, 2025. (Manitoba government via AP)
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Smoke From Canadian Fires Reaches Europe, Says EU Climate Monitor

 This photo provided by the Manitoba government shows wildfires in Flin Flon, Manitoba, Canada on Tuesday, May 27, 2025. (Manitoba government via AP)
This photo provided by the Manitoba government shows wildfires in Flin Flon, Manitoba, Canada on Tuesday, May 27, 2025. (Manitoba government via AP)

Heavy smoke from intense wildfires in Canada has reached northwestern Europe, the European Union's climate monitoring service said on Tuesday.

The huge plumes are at very high altitude and do not pose an immediate health risk, it said in a statement.

"Smoke originating from the wildfires in the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Saskatchewan has been transported across the Atlantic," the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS) said.

Satellites tracked the smoke in mid-May, with some plumes reaching as far east as Greece and the eastern Mediterranean.

"A second, much larger, smoke plume crossed the Atlantic during the last week of May, reaching northwestern parts of Europe on June 1," CAMS said.

Additional plumes are expected to shade the continent in the coming days.

Wildfire smoke is comprised of gaseous pollutants such as carbon monoxide, along with water vapor and particle pollution, which can be particularly hazardous to health.

A high concentration of carbon monoxide is expected to pass over northwestern France, including the Paris Basin, on Tuesday.

The high-altitude smoke headed for Europe is not expected to have a significant impact on surface air quality, but is likely to result in hazy skies and reddish-orange sunsets.

Manitoba in central Canada is experiencing its worst start to the fire season in years due to drought, and Saskatchewan to the west declared a state of emergency at the end of May, evacuating thousands of residents.

"Central regions of Canada have experienced a very intense few weeks in terms of wildfire emissions," said Mark Parrington, scientific director at CAMS.

Canadian authorities have forecast a more intense fire season than usual this summer in central and western Canada, due in particular to severe or extreme drought.

Elsewhere, extensive forest fires have been raging in Russia's Far Eastern Federal District since early April, particularly east of Lake Baikal, generating carbon emissions of around 35 million tons, Copernicus reported.