Erbil Citadel in Iraqi History

A brief history of the historic Erbil Citadel

It is a magical castle extending on the horizon in Erbil in Mesopotamia above the hill of the center of Erbil completely, with an area of 110 thousand square meters, and this castle is an important archaeological area, and dozens of important sites have been discovered inside the castle, and it has been included by the "UNESCO" on the World Heritage List since June 21, 2014.

Work is still underway to revive the ancient castle of Erbil despite the economic crisis in the Kurdistan region of Iraq, where the castle is one of the oldest human colonies in history, and it has passed through many eras and different civilizations such as Sumerian, Akkadian, Babylonian and Assyrian, and this area was subjected to multiple attacks from different sides of other civilizations such as the Achaemenid and Sassanid and finally entered the Islamic conquest.

The importance of Erbil Citadel throughout history

The historical Citadel of Erbil represents a distinctive civilized entity overlooking the modern city of Erbil, the capital of the Kurdistan region of Iraq, and despite that, the castle has preserved its urban fabric and architectural character over thousands of years, as the history of its existence dates back to about six thousand years.

It dates back to the Neolithic period, and fragments of pottery dating from that period were found on the hillsides.

Description of Erbil Historical Citadel

The castle is 28 to 32 meters high and has an oval shape and an area of 11 hectares. Handmade bricks are the basic building material in the castle, while the urban fabric is a collection of narrow, winding alleys and traditional monolithic houses with a central courtyard.

Erbil Castle interior design

The castle has three main neighborhoods:

Saray: It represents the eastern part and includes government administrative buildings and houses for the rich, notables and government officials.

Hospice : It is the second district and covers the central and northern part of the castle and included many buildings for performing religious rituals

Tunjana: It represents the third district and covers the western part of the castle and is inhabited by artisans. The meaning of the name Tunjana is due to the presence of the cannon that is used to defend the castle against attackers.

The most important feature of the historical Erbil Citadel

The hill topped by the castle is the product of the natural accumulations of the remains of successive civilizations throughout history over thousands of years, and dates back to the era in which people began to settle the castle, which was famous for the presence of a temple to the goddess "Ishtar" in it, and the temple included a religious school and an astronomical observatory, as well as sheltering priestesses of "Ishtar" predicting the future.

In 521 BC, Darius I of the Achaemenid king united his empire administratively and appointed a local governor of Erbil, while Darius III chose Erbil as his base before his defeat by Alexander the Great of Macedon at the Battle of Kokmela.

The castle was a center for the Jews and then the seat of the Christian bishops, and the castle was the scene of many battles between the Roman Empire and the Sassans and they took it as the capital of the region, but it quickly regained its importance after it was able to control it "Zain al-Din Zengi" in 1126 AD, and after 1190 AD Sultan "Muzaffar al-Din Kokbari" became ruler and made Erbil a thriving cultural and educational center in the region.

In 1232, the Mongols attacked the city and destroyed it dramatically, but failed to capture the fortress until after negotiations from 1258 to 1259.

Erbil Citadel in Contemporary History

In 2012, the Supreme Committee for the Conservation and Rehabilitation of the Citadel decided to select seven places for excavations, which continued over the next three years until 2015.

The castle now includes a Kurdish fashion house and a museum of precious stones, and UNESCO has launched a project to revive the castle for a period of 25 years, extendable, and UNESCO provides technical assistance and advice in the work has been restored to the external façade and sections between the internal alleys of the castle, and despite all these excavations, the castle still holds many secrets about what it lived among all those civilizations that took it as a center and headquarters despite all the secrets it revealed to us and tales about the past.