Middle East Research and Information Project

Critical Coverage of the Middle East Since 1971

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Heritage

The Struggle for the City—Urban Recovery and Dispossession in Mosul and Damascus
Volunteers salvage and clean up the debris and destruction in the Bab al-Saray area of the old city of Mosul, Iraq, December 2017. Fed up with waiting for assistance from the Iraqi authorities, traders rebuilt their shattered businesses themselves. Ahmad Muwafaq/AFP via Getty Images

The Struggle for the City—Urban Recovery and Dispossession in Mosul and Damascus

A walk through the old city of Mosul, Iraq, reveals an urban landscape still scarred by the violence of war and transfigured by ongoing reconstruction. Rubble-lined narrow streets give way to half-rebuilt homes and scaffolded storefronts, as merchants return and daily life resumes amid the heavy hum of generators and
Craig Larkin • 14 min read