Erbil Citadel as seen from the market square.

It is very impressive from a distance, not as much when you actually get inside. It has been occupied for about 6,000 years and has been proclaimed a UNESCO world heritage site. I would say it will be worth a visit in about a decade, once repairs and renovations are completed.

Nobody lives in the Erbil Citadel at the moment, though the houses are still there. There are about 250 residences, but the people have been displaced by the renovations. I don’t know if there is a right to return once repairs have been done. I suspect probably not. There were no signs for guidance, and no-one around to ask. Maybe the whole place will become strictly a tourist facility. I could fill up the post with information, but it would all be from the websites I went to for travel advice before traveling to Iraq. But you can get that information by clicking on my links.

The Ahmadi Gate.

The problem with Erbil Citadel now is that there is nothing really to see. One short street is open to the public, and you can’t go in to any of the buildings, except the one housing the Kurdish Textile Museum. That kind of limits its potential as a tourist attraction. All it is at the moment is hot and dusty with a lot of construction going on. Mind you, there is no admission fee, so if you don’t like it all it has cost you is the walk up the hill.

So today just a few pictures, taken amid the dust and construction. I’m guessing if you come back in a decade it will be pretty impressive.