Mosul << moh SOOL >>, also called al-Mawsil, is one of Iraq’s largest cities and an important commercial center. About 1,700,000 people live in the city. Mosul lies on the west bank of the Tigris River in northern Iraq.
Partly because of its location, Mosul has long been an important trading center. The ruins of the ancient city of Nineveh lie just across the Tigris River from Mosul. Mosul was once known for producing high-quality cotton goods. Muslin, a fine cotton cloth, took its name from the city.
Since the 1930’s, oil from the Mosul region has given the area new importance in world markets. Mosul’s population—a mixture of Arabs, Kurds, and Turkomans, among others—reflects the historical role the region has played as a frontier. Most of the city’s people are Muslims.
Mosul suffered damage from bombing during the Persian Gulf War of 1991 (see Persian Gulf War of 1991). During the 1990’s and early 2000’s, the city suffered occasional Kurdish uprisings and frequent attacks by United States and British warplanes on Iraqi military targets. Mosul again became a scene of fighting and bombing during the Iraq War (2003-2011).
In June 2014, a radical extremist group known as the Islamic State took control of Mosul. The group had been previously known as the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS). The group killed thousands of the city’s citizens and forced others into slavery. In February 2015, Islamic State militants burned the Mosul Library, destroying thousands of ancient manuscripts. They also destroyed ancient statues at Mosul’s Nirgal Gate and artifacts at the Mosul Museum. 
From October 2016 to July 2017, Mosul was heavily damaged as Iraqi government-led forces retook control of the city. During the fighting, Islamic State militants destroyed Mosul’s historic Grand Mosque of al-Nuri.
