Mosul

Mosul is a city in northern Iraq, on the Tigris River, and the administrative center of Nineveh Governorate. It is one of Iraq's largest cities and has long served as a commercial and cultural crossroads between the Middle East and Anatolia.

Historically, the area around Mosul includes the ancient Assyrian heartland, with the ancient city of Nineveh lying across the river from the modern city. Over centuries Mosul was part of successive empires, trading networks, and Islamic caliphates.

In 2014, Islamic State militants captured Mosul and declared a caliphate, causing a large-scale humanitarian crisis. Iraqi forces, with international support, retook the city in 2017 after months of urban warfare. The occupation caused extensive damage to urban areas and cultural heritage sites, and reconstruction has continued since then.

The city hosts diverse communities including Arabs, Christians, Turkmen, and other minorities; since the 2000s it has faced displacement but many residents have returned. Mosul is home to educational institutions such as the University of Mosul, and to markets and infrastructure along the Tigris that support agriculture and industry in the surrounding Nineveh Governorate.