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On Mount Alfaf, a group of paragliders prepare to fly from their chosen jump-off point - some for the very first time.
The mountain, located 30 kilometers northeast of Mosul, offers breathtaking views of the Nineveh Plains and mountains. It houses the ancient Mar Mattai monastery at its summit
The session is part of a free course offered by The Sky Knights is a paragliding team from Mosul, established in 2004.
They hope to spread the joys of paragliding throughout the region, and aim to increase the number of pilots who can participate in local and international championships.
Khalid became a paratrooper in 1989 and now teaches paragliding techniques as part of Sky Knights
"Currently, we have free paragliding courses. The aim is to expand and spread this sport and to increase the number of pilots in Mosul. We have finished several courses, and this is the third one. Thank God, we were able to graduate pilots and take them 450 metres (approx. 492 yards) high, which is the highest peak we have here in the Mar Mattai Monastery area," Khalid says.
This is the third free taught course offered by the team since the liberation of Mosul from the Islamic State (ISIS) group in 2017.
For trainer Ashraf, paragliding is like being a bird.
"My feeling while I am in the sky is just like the feeling of a bird. Flying high, the wind hits your face and from all sides. You hear nothing but the wind whistling and it is very beautiful. To me, it sounds like a musical instrument. It is amazing"
Trainee paragliders take several theory classes before they are allowed to venture into the skies.
"At the beginning, they taught us the theory. We listened to about 7 or 8 lectures. Then, they started to train us and explain the possibility of things that could occur while we are flying. So, in the course, we learned how to fly the parachute. Then, we learnt step by step until we came over here to fly," explains Sky Knights student Bilal Basim Abdullah.
Reporting by Associated Press
The mountain, located 30 kilometers northeast of Mosul, offers breathtaking views of the Nineveh Plains and mountains. It houses the ancient Mar Mattai monastery at its summit
The session is part of a free course offered by The Sky Knights is a paragliding team from Mosul, established in 2004.
They hope to spread the joys of paragliding throughout the region, and aim to increase the number of pilots who can participate in local and international championships.
Khalid became a paratrooper in 1989 and now teaches paragliding techniques as part of Sky Knights
"Currently, we have free paragliding courses. The aim is to expand and spread this sport and to increase the number of pilots in Mosul. We have finished several courses, and this is the third one. Thank God, we were able to graduate pilots and take them 450 metres (approx. 492 yards) high, which is the highest peak we have here in the Mar Mattai Monastery area," Khalid says.
This is the third free taught course offered by the team since the liberation of Mosul from the Islamic State (ISIS) group in 2017.
For trainer Ashraf, paragliding is like being a bird.
"My feeling while I am in the sky is just like the feeling of a bird. Flying high, the wind hits your face and from all sides. You hear nothing but the wind whistling and it is very beautiful. To me, it sounds like a musical instrument. It is amazing"
Trainee paragliders take several theory classes before they are allowed to venture into the skies.
"At the beginning, they taught us the theory. We listened to about 7 or 8 lectures. Then, they started to train us and explain the possibility of things that could occur while we are flying. So, in the course, we learned how to fly the parachute. Then, we learnt step by step until we came over here to fly," explains Sky Knights student Bilal Basim Abdullah.
Reporting by Associated Press
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