7 Historic Treasures Destroyed in Wars that Travelers Will Never Get to See

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6Great Mosque of al-Nuri — Mosul, Iraq

Part of Mosul’s Old City, the Great Mosque of al-Nuri dates back to 1172. Although it was extensively renovated in 1511, one of its original features — the distinctive, leaning minaret nicknamed al-Hadba (or “the Hunchback”) — was still standing eight centuries later.

Mosul, one of Iraq’s largest and most culturally important cities, suffered heavily at the hands of the Islamic State. In 2015, the group destroyed around a third of the ancient artifacts housed at Mosul Museum, including a 3,000-year-old lion statue originally from the Temple of Ishtar in Nimrud.