Working on the Citadel Mural in Tal Afar
A number of artists from Tal Afar have completed a mural entitled ‘Rebuild Our Citadel’. The mural depicts the Assyrian citadel that was destroyed during the war against ISIS in 2014. Located at the eastern entrance of Tal Afar, the mural took a whole week to complete, with four artists contributing to its creation: Yahya Ajam, Abbas Ahmed, Murad Hassan and Ibrahim Mohammed.
Artist Yahya Ajam said: “We tried to use art to send a clear message to the relevant authorities in the Ministry of Culture, the Nineveh Administration and international organisations concerned with antiquities and heritage, emphasising the need to rebuild the historic citadel of Tal Afar. This citadel has great historical, cultural and social significance and represents the heritage of the Turkmen people in Iraq”.
He continued: “For seven years, the citadel has been in ruins and we have been waiting for the liberation of the city, hoping that the relevant authorities would speed up its reconstruction. So far, however, we have seen no progress in this regard. As a group of artists, with the support of the Cordoba Peace Institute – Geneva, we wanted to create a mural on one of the concrete barriers at the entrance to Tal Afar, as an invitation to highlight the importance of rebuilding the citadel”.
The mural reflects two chronological periods of the Citadel: one before its destruction and the other after.
Lighting has also been installed for the mural, which attracts around a thousand visitors a day to the adjacent park. In addition, the mural has become a focal point for the city at its main entrance.
