Abdul Karim Al-Jafari

Iraqi architect revitalizing Mosul's heritage through community-driven reconstruction

Abdul Karim Al-Jafari (b.1978) is a Baghdad-born architect leading the post-war rebuilding of Mosul's historic Old City since 2020. As director of The Mosul Renaissance Project, he developed a unique 'participatory reconstruction' model where displaced residents actively design and build their neighborhoods. His team has restored 14th-century Al-Hadba Minaret using traditional mudbrick techniques while incorporating earthquake-resistant innovations. Al-Jafari's work preserved 73 historic homes as cultural museums, creating jobs for 3,000 locals. His 2022 book 《Rebuilding Memory: Mosul's Urban Revival》 details how architecture can heal communities. He won the 2023 Aga Khan Award for Architecture for the Al-Tahera district project, which blended Islamic geometric patterns with modern energy-efficient designs. Al-Jafari's approach influenced UNESCO's new urban regeneration guidelines, emphasizing cultural continuity over corporate-led development. He currently teaches at Mosul University's newly established School of Sustainable Architecture.