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NTU receives grant to preserve the disappearing heritage of post-war Mosul

Researchers looking at preserving the cultural heritage of Mosul, Iraq, have been awarded a grant of almost £300,000.

    Mosul

    Researchers looking at preserving the cultural heritage of Mosul, Iraq, have been awarded a grant of almost £300,000.

    The funding has been awarded by The British Academy and will be used by academics at Nottingham Trent University (NTU) to research, record and analyse memories of heritage practices, festivities and crafts that defined the society of Mosul before the conflict which  started there in 2013.

    In response to the sustainable development goals of UNESCO’s “Revive the spirit of Mosul”, NTU’s research team at the Centre for Architecture, Urbanism and Global Heritage (CAUGH) will work with partners at the University of Mosul, Wasit, and the Iraqi Government. Partners at Leeds and Durham Universities will work with the NTU team to achieve the project’s goals.

    The project aims to revive local traditions and reactivate the cultural heritage of the Old City that have been lost due to prolonged conflict through memorialisation and preservation.

    Professor Mohamed Gamal Abdelomonem, principle investigator in the project, of the School of Architecture, Design and the Built Environment, said: “Old Mosul’s heritage has become a victim of the violence in the city as part of the 2013-2017 armed conflict with ISIS which resulted in excessive damage to its historic fabric, heritage and dignity of its communities which became displaced.

    “We aim to counter this cycle of violence by engaging with local communities to help sustainability preserve their intangible heritage.”

    Professor Nigel Wright, Deputy Vice–Chancellor Research and Innovation at  Nottingham Trent University, added: “We are delighted that our NTU research team has won this British Academy GCRF Award to facilitate such novel research and such important interventions to enable local communities to build capacity amongst younger generations and unemployed women in Iraq in their journey to post-conflict recovery.”

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      About Nottingham Trent University

      Nottingham Trent University (NTU) was named University of the Year 2019 in the Guardian University Awards. The award was based on performance and improvement in the Guardian University Guide, retention of students from low-participation areas and attainment of BME students. NTU was also the Times Higher Education University of the Year 2017, and The Times and Sunday Times Modern University of the Year 2018. These awards recognise NTU for its high levels of student satisfaction, its quality of teaching, its engagement with employers, and its overall student experience. The university has been rated Gold in the Government’s Teaching Excellence Framework – the highest ranking available.

      It is one of the largest UK universities. With nearly 32,000 students and more than 4,000 staff located across four campuses, the University contributes £900m to the UK economy every year. With an international student population of more than 3,000 from around 100 countries, the University prides itself on its global outlook. The university is passionate about creating opportunities and its extensive outreach programme is designed to enable NTU to be a vehicle for social mobility. NTU is among the UK’s top five recruiters of students from disadvantaged backgrounds. A total of 82% of its graduates go on to graduate entry employment or graduate entry education or training within six months of leaving. Student satisfaction is high: NTU achieved an 87% satisfaction score in the 2019 National Student Survey.

      NTU is also one of the UK’s most environmentally friendly universities, containing some of the sector’s most inspiring and efficient award-winning buildings.

      NTU is home to world-class research, and won The Queen’s Anniversary Prize in 2015 – the highest national honour for a UK university. It recognised the University’s pioneering projects to improve weapons and explosives detection in luggage; enable safer production of powdered infant formula; and combat food fraud.

    Published on 18 December 2019
    • Category: Press office; Research; School of Architecture, Design and the Built Environment