Erbil Citadel

Rank: UNESCO

Wonder Type: Cultural

Country: Iraq

Best of: Citadel, Fortification

Erbil Citadel is a fortified settlement on top of an imposing ovoid-shaped tell (a hill created by many generations of people living and rebuilding on the same spot) in the Kurdistan region, Erbil Governorate. A continuous wall of tall 19th-century façades still conveys the visual impression of an impregnable fortress, dominating the city of Erbil. The citadel features a peculiar fan-like pattern dating back to Erbil's late Ottoman phase. Written and iconographic historical records document the antiquity of settlement on the site - Erbil corresponds to ancient Arbela, an important Assyrian political and religious centre - while archaeological finds and investigations suggest that the mound conceals the levels and remains of previous settlements. [More Details]