Qara Saray

[3] Unlike many other historic sites in Mosul, such as al-Nuri Mosque and Mar Girgis Church, Qara Saray did not experience further destruction during the period of occupation by the Islamic State of Syria and the Levant (ISIL) from 2014 to 2017.

However, like many other structures damaged in Mosul during ISIL's occupation, Qara Saray became a focus of heritage conservation efforts supported by NGO’s in partnership with Iraqi government agencies and institutions after 2017.

[11][12] These included depictions of birds (spread-winged eagles) and snakes, which may have reflected Christian influence in the region or which may have signaled that the large interior courtyards were used for secular gatherings and not for devotional use.

The presence of the naskhi (as opposed to kufic) style of Arabic script, according to the British archaeologist and scholar of Islamic architecture, Dorothy Lamb, may have reflected recent Central Asian influences.

[16] The damage that the site underwent during these air raids, coupled with the structural struggles that the building was already battling throughout the 1960s and 70s left the Qara Saray in very poor condition at the end of the twentieth century.

After the end of ISIL’s occupation of Northern Iraq in 2017, international efforts and funding increased to promote the reconstruction of Mosul’s heritage sites, including Qara Saray.

Efforts have focused on repairing six historical sites in Iraq with funding from NGOs and global philanthropies such as the International Alliance for the Protection of Heritage in Conflict Areas (ALEPH)[17] and the Gerda Henkel Foundation.