Al-Nabi Yunus Mosque

Al-Nabi Yunus Mosque
The Al-Nabi Yunus Mosque before it was demolished in 2014 by the Islamic State
Religion
Affiliation	Sunni Islam
District	Mosul District
Province	Nineveh
Ecclesiastical or organisational status	Mosque and shrine
Status	Destroyed (under reconstruction)
Location
Country	Iraq
Shown within Iraq
Geographic coordinates	36.34°N 43.16°E / 36.34; 43.16
Architecture
Type	Islamic Architecture
Date established	1365
Destroyed	2014
Specifications
Dome(s)	1
Minaret(s)	1
Shrine(s)	2

Al-Nabi Yunus Mosque (Arabic:  جامع النبي يونس, romanized: Jami' Al-Nabi Yunus) was a historic mosque located in Mosul, Iraq. It contained a tomb believed to be that of the Biblical prophet Jonah, known as Yunus by Muslims.

History

The alleged grave of the Prophet Yunus was discovered by Jalal al-Din Ibrahim al-Khatni during his reconstruction of the site as a congregational mosque in 1365. However, the mosque was also built over a demolished Assyrian Christian church that marked Jonah's grave.

In 1924, the minaret was added to the mosque building by a Turkish architect. During Saddam Hussein's rule, the mosque was renovated and expanded.

Construction

The mosque had one minaret and a conical ribbed dome. The floors of the mosque were built out of Alabaster and the prayer rooms had arched entrances that were inscribed with Quranic verses.

The alleged tomb of Jonah was located at a corner of the mosque. The sarcophagus believed to be that of Jonah had a wooden zarih built around it.

In addition to Jonah's tomb, a modern shrine which contains the tomb of Shaykh Rashid Lolan is present next to the mosque. This shrine dates back to the 1960s.

2014 destruction

On 24 July 2014, the building was blown up by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, damaging several nearby houses. They stated that "the mosque had become a place for apostasy, not prayer."

Archeological discovery

In March 2017, after ISIL was driven out, a system of tunnels about one kilometre long were found under the mosque. Although all moveable items had been removed, there were still Assyrian reliefs, structures and carvings along the walls.