Ancient Carvings Discovered at Iconic Mosul Monument Bulldozed by ISIS

An Iraqi worker excavates a carving at the Mashki Gate, one of the monumental gates to the ancient Assyrian city of Nineveh. AFP
An Iraqi worker excavates a carving at the Mashki Gate, one of the monumental gates to the ancient Assyrian city of Nineveh. AFP
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Ancient Carvings Discovered at Iconic Mosul Monument Bulldozed by ISIS

An Iraqi worker excavates a carving at the Mashki Gate, one of the monumental gates to the ancient Assyrian city of Nineveh. AFP
An Iraqi worker excavates a carving at the Mashki Gate, one of the monumental gates to the ancient Assyrian city of Nineveh. AFP

When ISIS bulldozed the ancient monumental Mashki gate in the Iraqi city of Mosul in 2016, it was part of the extremists' systematic destruction of cultural heritage.

Now, US and Iraqi archaeologists working to reconstruct the site have unearthed extraordinary 2,700-year-old rock carvings among the ruins, AFP reported.

They include eight finely made marble bas-relief carvings depicting war scenes from the rule of the Assyrian kings in the ancient city of Nineveh, a local Iraqi official said Wednesday.

Discovered last week, the detailed carvings show a soldier drawing back a bow in preparation to fire an arrow, as well as finely chiseled vine leaves and palms.

The grey stone carvings date to the rule of King Sennacherib, in power from 705-681 BC, according to a statement from the Iraqi Council of Antiquities and Heritage.

Sennacherib was responsible for expanding Nineveh as the Assyrians' imperial capital and largest city -- siting on a major crossroads between the Mediterranean and the Iranian plateau -- including constructing a magnificent palace.

Fadel Mohammed Khodr, head of the Iraqi archaeological team working to restore the site, said the carvings were likely taken from Sennacherib's palace and used as construction material for the gate.

"We believe that these carvings were moved from the palace of Sennacherib and reused by the grandson of the king, to renovate the gate of Mashki and to enlarge the guard room", Khodr said.

When they were used in the gate, the area of the carvings poking out above ground was erased.

"Only the part buried underground has retained its carvings," Khodr added.

ALIPH, the Swiss-based International Alliance for the Protection of Heritage in Conflict Areas, said the Mashki gate had been an "exceptional building".

ISIS targeted the fortified gate, which had been restored in the 1970s, because it was an "iconic part of Mosul's skyline, a symbol of the city's long history", it added.

ALIPH is supporting the reconstruction of the Mashki Gate by a team of archaeologists from Iraq's Mosul University alongside US experts from the University of Pennsylvania.

The restoration project, which is being carried out in collaboration with Iraqi antiquities authorities, aims to turn the damaged monument into an educational center on Nineveh's history.



Germany Goes Nuts for Viral 'Dubai Chocolate’

Pieces of Dubai chocolate with gold leaf are pictured at Abu Khaled Sweets oriental pastry shop in Berlin's Wedding district on November 14, 2024. (AFP)
Pieces of Dubai chocolate with gold leaf are pictured at Abu Khaled Sweets oriental pastry shop in Berlin's Wedding district on November 14, 2024. (AFP)
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Germany Goes Nuts for Viral 'Dubai Chocolate’

Pieces of Dubai chocolate with gold leaf are pictured at Abu Khaled Sweets oriental pastry shop in Berlin's Wedding district on November 14, 2024. (AFP)
Pieces of Dubai chocolate with gold leaf are pictured at Abu Khaled Sweets oriental pastry shop in Berlin's Wedding district on November 14, 2024. (AFP)

When Ali Fakhro lays out a row of pistachio-filled chocolate bars in the morning at his bakery in Berlin, he knows they will be gone in a matter of hours.

Inspired by the viral success of the crunchy delicacy known as "Dubai chocolate", Fakhro, 32, hunted down a recipe and began making his own version two months ago.

"On the first day I made 20 bars, but they went fast. The next day, I made 50 -- all gone too," he said.

So-called Dubai chocolate was invented in 2021 by British-Egyptian entrepreneur Sarah Hamouda, who is based in Dubai.

The chunky treat consists of a blocky, hand-decorated chocolate bar with various quirky fillings -- the signature flavor being a rich pistachio cream.

The treat went viral when TikTok food influencer Maria Vehera posted a video of herself eating a bar in her car, which has since been viewed more than 100 million times.

The real thing is only available to local customers in limited quantities, but the trend has led to an explosion of copycat versions of the chocolate around the world.

Shop owner Ali Fakhro prepares Dubai chocolate at his Abu Khaled Sweets oriental pastry shop in Berlin's Wedding district on November 14, 2024. (AFP)

- Queueing in the cold -

Fakhro, who runs Abu Khaled Sweets in Berlin, experimented "several times" with different recipes before finally landing on the right ingredient to give the pistachio cream its famous crunch -- a finely shredded Middle Eastern pastry known as kataif.

Germans have been scrambling to get their hands on the chocolate with bars selling for over 100 euros ($104) on the internet.

Last week, a 31-year-old man was caught by customs attempting to smuggle 45 kilograms of the sweet treat into Germany from Switzerland.

When Swiss manufacturer Lindt launched its own version of the Dubai chocolate in Germany this month, customers queued for hours in the cold to get their hands on a bar.

At up to 20 euros per bar, the delicacy is far more expensive than your average chocolate bar -- but that didn't seem to be putting anyone off.

"I waited 10 hours. I've been here since midnight just to taste this chocolate," 18-year-old student Leon Faehnle told AFP outside a Lindt shop in Stuttgart.

Customers line-up in front of a branch of chocolate producer Lindt before the sale of 100 Dubai Chocolate bars starts in Stuttgart, southern Germany, on November 15, 2024. (AFP)

- 'Easy money' -

Lindt launched the chocolate in Germany with 1,000 numbered bars in 10 shops, a spokesman for the group told AFP, and is planning a similar launch in Austria on November 30.

Dubai chocolate has also been a hit in France, with a version by chocolatier Jeremy Bockel on show at the Salon du Chocolat in Paris earlier this month.

Yannick Burkhard, 21, queued for three hours in Stuttgart to get his hands on the chocolate -- but is not planning to eat any of it himself. Instead, he will sell it on the internet.

"I would never pay that much for this. It's quick and easy money," he said with a smile.

"This bar cost 15 euros, but it can sell for almost 100 euros... There are lots of offers on eBay, up to 300 euros," said a customer who gave his name only as Lucas, 24.

Faehnle had a more wholesome plan for his bars as he exited the shop in Stuttgart beaming with pride at his purchase.

"Now I'm going to go home and share them with my grandparents," he said.