Free Republic

A view from the Christian town of Alqosh in the Nineveh Plain.For more than two years it lasted, just minutes away from Islamic State-held territory. The Iraqi town of Alqosh (50km north of Mosul) is the only Christian stronghold in the country that survived IS. Looking for signs of hope for the future of Christianity in Iraq? This town, with its four churches, two monasteries and 500 Christian families, is where it can be found. For those who grew up reading the Bible, Alqosh might ring a distant bell. It was the town where Old Testament prophet Nahum, "the Elkoshite",...

A family of Assyrian Christians has been guarding the tomb of Nahum the Elkoshi for generations. That tradition may be ending soon.Al Qosh, IRAQ – Nahum the Prophet warned the world about the impending end of the Assyrian empire and the destruction of its capital, Nineveh. More than 2,600 years later, his tomb, inside an ancient synagogue in the Iraqi city of Al Qosh, may face the same fate, courtesy of ISIS. Smooth domes topped with crucifixes rise slightly above the beige stone houses in Al Qosh, the modern town built on the ancient Nineveh plain. The town is a...