The Erbil Citadel, locally called Qelat (Kurdish: قەڵای ھەولێر , قەراتی هەولێرێ, Qelay Hewlêr) is a tell or occupied mound, and the historical city centre of Erbil in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.[1] The citadel has been included in the World Heritage List since 21 June 2014.
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. During the 20th century, the urban structure was significantly modified, as a result of which a number of houses and public buildings were destroyed. In 2007, the High Commission for Erbil Citadel Revitalization (HCECR) was established to oversee the restoration of the citadel. In the same year, all inhabitants, except one family, were evicted from the citadel as part of a large restoration project. Since then, archaeological research and restoration works have been carried out at and around the tell by various international teams and in cooperation with local specialists. The government plans to have 50 families live in the citadel once it is renovated.
The buildings on top of the tell stretch over a roughly oval area of 430 by 340 metres (1,410 ft × 1,120 ft) occupying 102,000 square metres (1,100,000 sq ft). The only religious structure that currently survives is the Mulla Afandi Mosque. The mound rises between 25 and 32 metres (82 and 105 ft) from the surrounding plain. When it was fully occupied, the citadel was divided in three districts or mahallas: from east to west the Serai, the Takya and the Topkhana. The Serai was occupied by notable families; the Takya district was named after the homes of dervishes, which are called takyas; and the Topkhana district housed craftsmen and farmers.
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The ErbilCitadel, locally called Qelat (Kurdish: قەڵای ھەولێر , قەراتی هەولێرێ, Qelay Hewlêr) is a tell or occupied mound, and the historical city centre...
the ancient CitadelofErbil and Mudhafaria Minaret. The earliest historical reference to the region dates to the Third Dynasty of Ur of Sumer, when King...
Aerial view of the CitadelofErbil, surrounded by the modern city Salahaddin University: Founded in 1958 in Sulaymaniya and transferred to Erbil in 1981...
التراث التركماني) is an exhibition located within the CitadelofErbil, in the center ofErbil, northern Iraq. It was officially inaugurated on September...
RESTORATION OF ISHAQ PASHA'S PALACE WILL BE COMPLETED IN 2013'. Retrieved 7 July 2013. UNESCO Office for Iraq (2007) 'Revitalization Project ofErbilCitadel'....
The Tal Afar Citadel (Turkish: Telafer Kalesi) is a citadel located in Tal Afar, a city in Nineveh Governorate in northwest Iraq. The citadel was built by...
The Kirkuk Citadel (Arabic: قلعة كركوك, Kurdish: قەڵای کەرکووک, Turkish: Kerkük Kalesi) is in the centre of Kirkuk, Iraq, and is considered to be the oldest...
2015-11-18. "Ashur (Qal'at Sherqat)". UNESCO. Retrieved 17 August 2011. "ErbilCitadel". UNESCO. Retrieved 2 January 2015. "Hatra". UNESCO. Retrieved 17 August...
Erbil Stones and Gems Museum is a small museum located within the CitadelofErbil, at the heart of the city ofErbil (Hawler), the capital of Iraqi Kurdistan...
"Revitalization Project ofErbilCitadel". UNESCO. Archived from the original on 2014-10-25. Retrieved 2014-10-16. either The destruction of the Kirkuk Castle...
Ashur (Qal'at Sherqat) ErbilCitadel Hatra Samarra Archaeological City The Ahwar of Southern Iraq Babylon The United Nations Educational, Scientific and...
museum building was relocated into the CitadelofErbil. The museum was administered by the General Directorate of Archaeology in Baghdad. After then, many...
one-room exhibition-like archive that occupies one of the renovated traditional buildings at the CitadelofErbil. The current director (and owner) is Amjad Assad...
Alauddin the treasures captured from Warrangal. July 1 – The CitadelofErbil, headquarters of a rebellion by 10,000 Eastern Christians and located in what...
historical citadelofErbil. The hotel has a good connection to Erbil International Airport by having an Airport Transfer service. ErbilErbil International...
Retrieved 6 August 2016. "Babylon". UNESCO. Retrieved 9 July 2019. "ErbilCitadel". UNESCO. Retrieved 2 January 2015. "Hatra". UNESCO. Retrieved 17 August...
the western bank of the Tigris river, forming part of the city wall of Mosul, Iraq. It was partially destroyed by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant...
home of the Jaff family. It was built by Mohamed Pasha Jaff, Kurdish pasha serving the Ottoman Empire, during the 1800s. After the Mamluk Vali of Baghdad...
A in the Levant. An archaeological survey of the CitadelofErbil, in the plain south of the lower course of the Great Zab, has shown that this site was...
the CitadelofErbil as well. The region enters history at the end of the 3rd millennium BCE, when Erbil is mentioned as Urbilum by king Shulgi of the...
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