The UN cultural organization and the Iraqi government signed a memorandum in Jordan for the reconstruction of the Al-Askari Mosque.
The UN Development Group Iraq Trust Fund is to provide $5.4 million and the Iraqi government will contribute $3 million to the project.
UNESCO said the reconstruction would start "as soon as security conditions are guaranteed" and would last ten months.
The Al-Askari, or Golden, Mosque shrine is one of the most revered sites of Shi'ite Islam.
Its minarets were blown up by suspected Sunni insurgents on June 13. In February 2006, a bomb attack destroyed its huge golden dome, sparking a wave of deadly sectarian violence.
Copyright (c) 2006. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. www.rferl.org
