Mohammed Aty/Reuters
2023.07.18 Tue posted at 17:30 JST
Baghdad, Iraq (CNN) The 300-year-old spire, which the culture ministry considers a heritage site, has been demolished to make way for a road widening project in southern Iraq’s Basra governorate.
The 11-metre-high spire of the Islamic temple, built in 1727, was demolished on the same day to widen the road, the governor of Basra said on a television news program. The road widening was in response to complaints about traffic volume around the mosque.
An official who witnessed the demolition said the spire was demolished for public safety as it was in danger of collapsing. He stressed that the measures were necessary to widen the roads as the city grew and caused traffic congestion.
This has drawn criticism from local residents and government officials.
Iraq’s Culture Minister Ahmed Badrani said he was ready to take legal action and called on Sunni and Shia Muslims to intervene.
The Sunni group that owns the land and mosque in question violated an agreement with Basra governorate to safely remove the minaret and replace it with a new mosque rather than demolish it. I’m complaining.
A resident of Basra told CNN that people were “painful” that the historic spire had been demolished, adding: “We should have found another solution instead of demolishing it.” claim. “Unlike Iraq, which destroys ruins, every country preserves its history,” he added.
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2023-07-18 08:30:00
