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Citadel of Erbil

  The Kurdistan Region in north of Iraq has one of the most aesthetically pleasing views. Erbil specifically, is one of the most populated cities and the capital of the Kurdistan Region. Did you know that human settlement at Erbil may be dated back to the 5th millennium BC? One of the most ancient buildings is the Citadel of Erbil. The citadel has been included in the World Heritage List since 21 June 2014.

 The Citadel of Erbil is a tell or occupied mound, and the historical city centre of Erbil in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. The earliest evidence for occupation of the citadel mound dates to the 5th millennium BC, and possibly earlier. It appears for the first time in historical sources in the Ebla tablets around 4000 BC, and gained particular importance during the Neo-Assyrian period. During the Sassanian period and the Abbasid Caliphate, Erbil was an important centre for Christianity. After the Mongols captured the citadel in 1258, the importance of Erbil declined. The site of the citadel may have been occupied as early as the Neolithic period, as pottery fragments possibly dating to that period have been found on the slopes of the mound. Clear evidence for occupation comes from the Chalcolithic period, with sherds resembling pottery of the Ubaid and Uruk periods in the Jazira and southeastern Turkey, respectively. Given this evidence for early occupation, the citadel has been called the oldest continuously occupied town in the world. 

 Around and beneath the Citadel as well as to the south sprawl a maze of alleyways where the ancient commercial heart of the city beats strongly to this day. Some places to visit at the Citadel: The Kurdish Textile and Ethnographic (Cultural) Museum, The French Institute of the Near East, Erbil Citadel Cultural Center, Traditional Hammam (public bath), Great Mosque (Mulla Effendi Mosque), Erbil Stones and Gems Museum, Citadel Antiques (souvenirs), Turkmen Heritage House, Exhibition of Miniature of Kurdistan Costumes, Kurdistan Music Archive, Kurdish Tourism Association, Barzani Museum, Erbil Citadel Visitor Center, Erbil Citadel Interpretation Center, Exhibition of Handmade Carpets, Mulla Ibrahim Dogramachi Mosque.

With all these places to visit, your entire vacation will be full of adventures and new experiences!