Iraq lays cornerstone to rebuild iconic Mosul mosque Iraqis lay the cornerstone in rebuilding Mosul's Al-Nuri mosque and leaning minaret, national emblems destroyed last year in the ferocious battle against the Islamic State group. The famed 12th century mosque and minaret, dubbed Al-Hadba or "the hunchback," were where IS chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi made his only public appearance to declare a self-styled "caliphate" after sweeping into Mosul in 2014.