Mosul

Mosul
الموصل

ܡܘܨܠ

مووسڵ
Metropolis
Top to bottom, left to right:
View over Tigris river, The Eastern Bank of Tigris River, Green Mosque, Mor Mattai Monastery, Old City of Mosul, Hatra, Nineveh Walls and Mosul Corniche
Nickname(s): 
Nīnwē ܢܝ݂ܢܘܹܐ
The Pearl of the North
Mosul
Location in Iraq
Mosul
Mosul (West and Central Asia)
Coordinates: 36°20′N 43°08′E / 36.34°N 43.13°E / 36.34; 43.13
Country Iraq
GovernorateNineveh
DistrictMosul
Government
 • TypeMayor–council government
 • BodyNineveh Governorate
 • MayorZuhair Al-Araji
Area
 • Total
180 km2 (70 sq mi)
Elevation223 m (732 ft)
Population
 (2023)[2]
 • Total
1,792,000
 • Rank2nd in Iraq
 • Density10,000/km2 (26,000/sq mi)
Demonym(s)Mosuli
Maslawi
Time zoneUTC+3 (AST)
Area code60

Mosul[a] is a major city in northern Iraq, serving as the capital of Nineveh Governorate. It is the second largest city in Iraq overall after the capital Baghdad. Situated on the banks of Tigris, the city encloses the ruins of the ancient Assyrian city of Nineveh—once the largest city in the world—on its east side.[6]

Due to its strategic and central location, the city has traditionally served as a hub of international commerce and travel in the region. It is considered as one of the historically and culturally significant cities of the Arab world. The North Mesopotamian Arabic spoken in Mosul is known as Maslawi and is widely spoken in the region. Together with the Nineveh Plains, Mosul is a historical center of the Assyrians. The surrounding region is ethnically and religiously diverse; a large majority of the city is Arabs, with Kurds, Assyrians, Turkmens, Shabaks, and other minorities comprising the population. Sunni Islam is the largest religion but there are a sizeable number of Christians and Yazidis as well as adherents of other Muslim sects such as Twelver Shi'ism and Shabakism, and in the past, Iraqi Jews.[7] Mosul and its surrounding region are significant in biblical history.

The metropolitan area has grown from the old city on the western side to encompass substantial areas on both the "Left Bank" (east side) and the "Right Bank" (west side), as locals call the two respective sides of the Tigris. Historically, essential products of the area included marble and oil. The region around Mosul is rich in oil reserves. Mosul is home to the University of Mosul and its renowned Medical College, one of the Middle East's largest educational and research centers. The city is also home to historic mosques, Christian sites, synagogues and Yazidi temples.

  1. ^ Gladstone, Philip (10 February 2014). "Synop Information for ORBM (40608) in Mosul, Iraq". Weather Quality Reporter. Retrieved 16 June 2014.
  2. ^ "Mosul, Iraq Metro Area Population 1950-2023". Macrotrends.
  3. ^ "Nêçîrvan Barzanî: Serxwebûn Mafê Gelê Kurd E" (in Kurdish). Voice of America. Retrieved 13 March 2020.
  4. ^ "ئەمساڵ كۆنسۆڵخانەى توركيا لە مووسڵ دووبارە دەكرێتەوە" (in Kurdish). Anadolu Agency. Retrieved 13 March 2020.
  5. ^ Thomas A. Carlson et al., "Mosul – ܡܘܨܠ " in The Syriac Gazetteer last modified 30 June 2014, https://syriaca.org/place/139.
  6. ^ Coker, Margaret (10 December 2017). "After Fall of ISIS, Iraq's Second-Largest City Picks Up the Pieces". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 25 April 2021.
  7. ^ Dalley, Stephanie (1993). "Nineveh After 612 BC." Alt-Orientanlische Forshchungen 20. p.134.


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