Object description

The Umm al-Qura Mosque is a mosque located in Baghdad, Iraq. It was the city's largest place of worship for Sunni Muslims., but ever since, it has also become the location of a Shia hawza and the place of refugee for many fleeing the terrorists depredations in the Anbar Province. Originally called the Umm al-Ma'arik mosque, it was designed to commemorate Saddam Hussein's self-proclaimed victory in the 1991 Gulf War and was intended to serve as a personal tribute to Saddam himself. It is located in the Sunni-populated al-Adel area of western Baghdad. Costing US$7.5 million to build, the mosque's cornerstone was laid on Saddam's 61st birthday on 28 April 1998. It was formally completed on 28 April 2001 in time for the ten-year anniversary of the Gulf War.