By: Nashwan George

Translated by : Aziz Emmanuel Zebari

 

Perhaps the most prominent historical monument of Erbil is its citadel which has preserved its shape and is still inhabited. It is therefore not strange for archaeologists to call Erbil the most live ancient city of the world. Describing the city, the Arab historian Yaqut al-Hamawi says that Erbil is a big city, spacious and surrounded by a deep trench. It used to be a complete city with walls and inhabitants.

The citadel lies 350 kms to the north east of Baghdad. It has an area of 10 sauare kilometers with an altitude of 26 meters. It represents the remains of an important Assyrian city known as Erba – Ilo ( Four Gods).

Through inversion or misspelling, the name was later changed to Arbil or Erbila by Arab geographers and to Arwel  and Urweel by the general public. As a result of inversion and ellipsis Urweel was changed to Hawler. The prominent Iraqi linguist Fr. Anstans Mary al-Karmily says the name Hawler is inverted from Erbil. In his book, Erbil in its Historical Periods, The late Zubair Bilal Ismael has referred to this  saying Hawler is coinage from Erbil.

The citadel of Erbil used to be one of the most important three Assyrian cities: Kaleh, Nineveh, and Erbil. It was taken as the capital of the ruler throughout all the periods Assyrian Kingdoms. It was always the religious capital as well; the king in the land of Assur was regarded as the Great undisputed priest. It is probable that goddess Ishtar moved her temple to the north when she led the country of Assure alone, and chose Arba-ilo for that purpose. So, Erbil was the second throne of goddess Ishtar known as the Ishtar of Erbella. She was the source of victory in battle. For the Assyrians, she had two natures for she had a temple in Nineveh and another in Erbil. While the Nineveh Ishtar was originally the goddess of love and indulgence who ruled Mars , the Ishtar of Erbil was the source of victory. It is said that that King Sennacherib made a pilgrimage to the city of Erba- ilo in 692 BC to pray to goddess Ishtar for victory in his future wars. Erbil , however, had its own god named Sharbel, the son of goddess Ishtar.

Among the most important events that the citadel has experienced is the celebration of Assur Naser Pal (885-860 BC) of the execution of King Kerkhy hanging his corpse on its walls. Sennacherib on his part carried water to the city through a channel that extended 20km from the valley of Bastora to the city. It is also renowned for the battle that was fought nearby the citadel between Alexander the Great and the Persian King Dara, known in history as the Battle of Gaugamela which ended by Alexander’s control of the city.

During the first two centuries BC Erbil was a semi-independent Emirate under the name Adiabene and it included sometimes the province of Assur-Nineveh.

When Christianity spread in Mesopotamia Eribl was the first city to embrace the new faith; since the first centuries BC there was a Christian community in Erbil. From the History of Eribl by Mshiha Zkha we know of Christian bishops since the middle of the third century such as Shahlofa who taught and built many schools all over the country. During the time of the Catholicos Fafa, Erbil was elevated to the bishopric position and the diocese offered the largest number of martyrs during the Persian persecution whereby nine nuns and 111 priests were killed in all at once. A lady from Erbil name Yasdan Dokht had helped them but in vain and in the morning of their death she sought to bury them. And despite the persecutions against Christians, Erbil continued to have a Christian majority until the occupation of the city by the Mongols. It used to have many churches and on more than one occasion it became the patriarchal see.

During the Islamic periods the citadel remained with its walls and used to have a population centre and a castle to defend it with towers and defensive structures. The citadel remained populated throughout all the subsequent periods following the last Mongol occupation in the 13 century. The last time it was mentioned as a military defense centre is during Nadir Shah’s control of Erbil in 1736 when he laid siege to the city 60 days before opening its gates.

The citadel has undergone three periods as a place; it used to be the whole city and then became the larger part of the city and finally a small part of it. The city’s last period that is still going on refers to its population density in the modern period.

Climbing the citadel can only be done through two ancient gates, the south gate facing the city’s market and the north one known as Amko Gate facing the city of Ankawa which is believed to have its name from the gate. It used to be the main gate to the south of the citadel representing a great tower whose shape showed  that it was a castle. The gate was destroyed for fear of collapsing.

The citadel of Erbil, now inhabited by Kurds, lies in the heart of the city. It comprises three residential quarters: Sarai to the east , Tobkhana to the south west, and the Takya to the northern west of the city. The plate-like citadel is now made up of old dilapidating houses the oldest of which were built at the end of the 19th century and beginning of the 20th on the ruins of older houses.

The citadel has thus continued to maintain the existence of Erbil the city in this spot as well as the continuation of life in it, rather it has helped the city preserve its ancient name.

Today, the citadel is an historical and archaeological symbol of the city in terms of its cultural and hereditary fabric awaiting more care and interest to be a live model that combines heritage and civilization. It is sad to say that so far no serious excavations have been carried out in the city that would unveil its history and the civilization of the people who inhabited it subsequently.