MOSUL: Two high-tech replicas of iconic Assyrian statues destroyed by the Daesh group in northern Iraq were unveiled on Thursday at the University of Mosul.
The real “lamassu” — massive statues of winged bulls with human faces — had adorned a royal throne room in the ancient city of Nimrud for centuries, and one was later exhibited in the Mosul Museum.
But extremists destroyed the originals after they swept across northern Iraq in 2014, blowing up Nimrud and filming themselves taking hammers to pre-Islamic artefacts they deemed heretical.
Iraqi troops recaptured Mosul in mid-2017, but the museum has remained shuttered and the lamassu in ruins.
Using 3D recordings of lamassu fragments, the Spanish Factum Foundation created copies, erected this week outside the student library at the University of Mosul.
“This gift is a message of hope that Mosul has returned to normal and its people must build their city,” Spanish Ambassador Juan Jose Escobar said at the statues’ unveiling.
Ahmad Qassem, a professor of history at the University of Mosul, said the lamassu’s hybrid figure is highly symbolic.
“The head symbolizes wisdom, the wings speed, and the body — a mix of a bull and a lion — represent strength,” he told AFP.
And Factum founder Adam Lowe told AFP the replicas now had their own meaning.
“We want them to be here as a symbol, a demonstration of what’s possible with technology when people work together to share cultural heritage, share understanding, and share our historical culture that links us all together,” he said.
“Now they’re sitting in front of the entrance to the student building and I hope they’ll guard everyone for many years to come,” said Lowe.
University student Ilaf Muhannad said she was elated to see her university house them.
“I’m so happy today to see the lamassu statues placed here, because it represents the civilization and heritage of Mosul. We demand the Iraqi government work on returning everything stolen from Mosul,” she said.
Replicas of Assyrian statues smashed by Daesh unveiled in Iraq’s Mosul
Replicas of Assyrian statues smashed by Daesh unveiled in Iraq’s Mosul
- Extremists destroyed the originals after they swept across northern Iraq in 2014
- Iraqi troops recaptured Mosul in mid-2017, but the museum has remained shuttered and the lamassu in ruins
More than 80 countries condemn new Israeli rules in West Bank, invoke the ‘New York Declaration’
- Surrounded by nations’ representatives, Palestinian envoy Riyad Mansour reads statement at UN HQ denouncing the measures as ‘contrary to Israel’s obligations under international law’
- Critics say the steps — including expansion of Israeli settlements, legalization of outposts, direct land purchases by settlers, removal of oversight — amount to de facto annexation
NEW YORK CITY: More than 80 countries and several international organizations on Tuesday condemned what they described as unilateral decisions and measures taken by Israeli authorities with the aim of expanding their “unlawful” presence in the occupied West Bank.
Surrounded by more than 80 representatives of the nations and groups, Riyad Mansour, the permanent observer of the State of Palestine to the UN, read a joint statement in which they said: “Such decisions are contrary to Israel’s obligations under international law and must be immediately reversed.”
Israel this month approved significant new measures that tighten its control of the occupied West Bank, focusing in particular on accelerating the process of registering land in a part of the territory known as Area C as “state property.”
The new steps, which critics say amount to de facto annexation, include the legalization of outposts, expansion of Israeli settlements, authorization for direct land purchases by settlers, and the removal of oversight on such transactions.
In their statement, the countries and organizations stressed their “strong opposition to any form of annexation.”
They continued: “We reiterate our rejection of all measures aimed at altering the demographic composition, character and status of the Palestinian territory occupied since 1967, including East Jerusalem.
“Such measures violate international law, undermine the ongoing efforts for peace and stability in the region, run counter to the comprehensive plan, and jeopardize the prospect of reaching a peace agreement ending the conflict.”
They reaffirmed their determination “to take concrete measures in accordance with international law, and in line with the relevant UN resolutions and the July 19 advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice, to help realize the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination, and to counter the illegal settlement policy in the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem, and policies and threats of forcible displacement.”
This stance is reflected, they said, in the 2025 New York Declaration, a UN-endorsed initiative proposed, following a conference in July 2025, by France and Saudi Arabia with the aim of reviving efforts to achieve a two-state solution to the conflict between Israel and Palestine.
“We reiterate that a just and lasting peace on the basis of the relevant UN resolutions, the Madrid terms of reference, including the principle of land for peace, and the Arab Peace Initiative, ending the Israeli occupation that began in 1967 and implementing the two-state solution — where two democratic states, an independent and sovereign Palestine and Israel, live side by side in peace and security within their secure and recognized borders on the basis of the 1967 lines, including with regard to Jerusalem — remains the only path to ensure security and stability in the region,” they added.
