ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Archeologists have discovered a large winged bull statue in Iraq's northern province of Nineveh that is believed to be 2,700 years old.
"The bull has been discovered inside King Esarhaddon's palace, at Prophet Yunus' mosque, and excavated by a joint German-Iraqi team," Ruwaid Muwaffaq, an archeologist in Nineveh's culture department, told Rudaw. "The bull is the second most beautiful winged statue, all made from rock."
Muwaffaq said they estimate the statue dates back to the Assyrian Empire era and during King Esarhaddon's reign.
The first winged bull was discovered at the same place in the 1990s, she said.
Iraq's Culture Minister Ahmed Fakak al-Badrani, who visited the archaeologists on Friday, described the winged bull as "an important archaeological discovery in Nineveh that strengthens Iraq's civil heritage” and will attract tourists.
The bull is six meters high.
Nineveh province is home to a significant number of heritage and archeological sites.
The Prophet Yunus mosque, believed to be the burial place of Jonah, was blown up on July 24, 2014, by the Islamic State (ISIS), more than a month after the extremist group captured Mosul. The explosion also damaged several nearby houses. At the time, ISIS said "the mosque had become a place for apostasy, not prayer."
During its rule, ISIS destroyed many ancient sites, including the Assyrian city of Nimrud. The militants smashed cuneiform tablets and statues, using sledgehammers and power tools before demolishing the entire city with large explosions, claiming it was “un-Islamic.” Iraqi forces recaptured the site in late 2016.
The destruction of Nimrud city drew widespread condemnation, with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) calling it a “war crime.”