DUBAI: Google Arts & Culture has announced the launch of a new online project that aims to help preserve Maslawi heritage and cultural landmarks using technology.
The burnt library of Mosul, photographed by Ali Youssef Al-Baroodi. (Supplied)
The new initiative, titled “The Art & Soul of Mosul,” allows people to discover the Noori Complex, an iconic cultural site that faced destruction. Both Iraqis and tourists can also get a chance to walk through Mosul’s Old City using street view, and will be able to view 3D models of heritage sites at risk, such as Mosul’s first mosque and one of its oldest churches.
AlUmayyed Mosque, photographed by Moyasser Nasseer. (Supplied)
The project, which is a collaboration with Iraqi radio station AlGhad, showcases artwork that brings the stories of the city and its people to life – including the lives of women and children during and after the war, and art from the 2018 “Return to Mosul” exhibition hosted at the Mosul Cultural Museum in Iraq.
Renovated blue alley, photography by Mohammed Abdulhaq. (Supplied)
Marwan Tariq, an artist who participated in the 2018 exhibition said in a released statement that “the message of the workshop to the world is that the city of Mosul, the city of art, is still alive despite the destruction and grinding war that destroyed people and the infrastructure…. it is full of life and peace.”
