Erbil Citadel

A fortified settlement on a tall oval tell in central Erbil, among the oldest continuously inhabited places in the world.

It is famous as one of the oldest places in the world where people may have lived without a break. Signs of settlement go back to the 5th millennium BC, and possibly earlier. The citadel was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2014.

A very old home

Pottery pieces found on the slopes of the mound suggest people may have lived here as early as the Neolithic period, and clear evidence appears in the Chalcolithic period. Erbil shows up in written records for the first time on clay tablets from Ebla, in modern Syria, around 2300 to 2000 BC. Later it belonged to Assyria and became important in the Neo-Assyrian period. Because of this long story, the citadel has been called the oldest continuously occupied town in the world.

From Mongols to today

Erbil was an important centre for Christianity during the Sassanian and Abbasid periods. After the Mongols captured the citadel in 1258, the city lost much of its importance. In the 20th century the street layout inside the citadel changed a great deal, and a number of houses and public buildings were destroyed. Today the only religious building that survives on the mound is the Mulla Afandi Mosque.

On the globe

The toy model shows the tall oval mound with the walled settlement crowded on top.