Photos: What the Iraqi city of Mosul looked like 80 years ago, and now
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Version 0 of 1. The Islamic State became well known worldwide when it captured one of Iraq's largest cities, Mosul. Although the militant group had seized Fallujah earlier this year, Mosul was the beginning of the Islamic State's quest to capture much of Iraq and to declare a caliphate. In 1932, after the British mandate to make Iraq an independent country, an organization called the American Colony Photo Department sent a photographer to take photos of daily life in the city. The photos from 1932 followed by present-day Mosul present a stark look at how things have changed since the militant group took over the city. 1932: The tomb of the prophet Jonah, a sacred site for Muslims and Christians. 2014: Iraqis walked through the rubble after it was destroyed by militants in July. The Islamic State follows a radical form of Sunni Islam and has been destroying religious shrines in Iraq and Syria. 1932: A woman posed for a portrait in Mosul. During this period, women didn't have to cover their heads or faces. 2014: Islamic State forced storefronts to cover the faces of mannequins in accordance with strict sharia law. 1932: A copper smith worked in the market in Mosul. 2014: A member of the Islamic State passed out copies of the Quran to locals. 1932: A truck travels through the desert south of the city. 2014: The Islamic State group removed part of a barrier on the Iraq-Syria border as they attempt to take over Iraq and Syria to create a caliphate. 1932: Iraqis gathered in a market in the center of the city. 2014: After the city was overrun by the Islamic State (then ISIS) in June, many held demonstrations and chanted slogans in support of the militant group. |