Nineveh to host international research center under US–Iraqi accord

Shafaq News – Nineveh

Iraq’s Nineveh province will establish an international academic research center as part of a new agreement to strengthen the province’s role as a hub for science and culture, Governor Abdulqadir al-Dakhil announced on Wednesday.

Al-Dakhil told reporters that the project aims to position Nineveh as a leading scientific and cultural center, focusing on studies of heritage, archaeology, and ancient civilizations that define the province’s historic identity.

He said the initiative marks one of the province’s most important academic milestones in recent years, intended to create an advanced research environment, foster collaboration between Iraqi and international scholars, and support efforts to preserve Nineveh’s cultural legacy.

The governor noted that the agreement was signed with the TARI Institute for Academic Research and the Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures at the University of Chicago, describing it as a strategic step toward building global academic partnerships and revitalizing Nineveh’s historic standing as a center of knowledge and civilization.

The initiative comes as Nineveh continues to rebuild from the widespread destruction caused by ISIS, which devastated much of the city’s infrastructure and heritage sites during its occupation from 2014 to 2017.