Al-Tahera (the Immaculate) is a Syriac Catholic church in the Old City of Mosul, one of the more visible symbols of the city's ancient Christian heritage. The church's exterior is relatively plain, but its interior retains decorative elements reflecting a centuries-long tradition of Eastern Christian worship in the Nineveh plains. It was partly demolished during the ISIS occupation, when much of the Christian quarter around it was looted or destroyed.
Restoration work has been ongoing since 2017, supported by the Iraqi government and international donors. The church is one of several in the Old City that the authorities and the local Christian community are working to bring back. Visiting it is a reminder that Mosul's Christian community, one of the oldest in the world — descendants of the first churches established in the region within decades of the crucifixion — has persisted despite enormous pressure, even if its numbers are greatly reduced.