An Ancient Wonder

Settled more than 6,000 years ago, Erbil Citadel is thought to be one of the longest continuously inhabited sites in the world. The Citadel, located on an archaeological tell rising around 98 ft. (30 m) above the plain, is surrounded by a lower town that developed into the modern city of Erbil.

The overall form of the citadel town is circular but more elliptical to be precise. Its long diameter is about 430 meters and its short diameter is about 340 meters. Its overall area is slightly more than 10 hectares (102,000 square meters). It is surrounded by a steep earthen mound in all directions which made it very difficult for any attacker to scale it. The town is largely occupied by traditional courtyard houses and with few public buildings reached through a labyrinth of narrow alleyways.

The houses that are built on the perimeter are contiguous and form a solid wall very similar to fortified citadels of medieval times. Because of its imposing height, yellow-ochre color, and the solid perimeter wall, the town is perhaps one of the most dramatic visual experiences in the Middle East.

The citadel town of Erbil represents a distinct urban entity and should be treated as such. It is not simply an agglomeration of a number of houses and other buildings located within a complex system of narrow alleyways. The citadel town is the unique heritage of human experience and genius of thousands of years. It tells the story of how hundreds of past generations interacted with their natural environment and how they developed their way of life based on their cultural norms and values.