17 Facts About Erbil

1.

Erbil became an integral part of the kingdom of Assyria by the 21st century BC through to the end of the seventh century BC, after it was captured by the Gutians, and it was known in Assyrian annals variously as Urbilim, Arbela and Arba-ilu.

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2.

Erbil's archaeological museum houses a large collection of pre-Islamic artefacts, particularly the art of Mesopotamia, and is a centre for archaeological projects in the area.

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3.

Region in which Erbil lies was largely under Sumerian domination from c 3000 BC, until the rise of the Akkadian Empire which united all of the Akkadian Semites and Sumerians of Mesopotamia under one rule.

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4.

Erbil was an integral part of Assyria from around 2050 BC, becoming a relatively important city during the Old Assyrian Empire, Middle Assyrian Empire and the Neo-Assyrian Empire, until the last of these empires fell between 612 and 599 BC.

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5.

Erbil became part of the region disputed between Rome and Persia under the Sasanids.

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6.

Yaqut al-Hamawi further describes Erbil as being mostly Kurdish-populated in the 13th century.

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7.

Erbil was the birthplace of the famous 12th and 13th century Kurdish historians and writers Ibn Khallikan and Ibn al-Mustawfi.

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8.

Erbil became a part of the Mosul vilayet in Ottoman Empire until World War I, when the Ottomans and their Kurdish and Turkmen allies were defeated by the British Empire.

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9.

Vanquished, Darius managed to flee to Erbil, which is why the battle is still sometimes referred to - rather inaccurately - as the Battle of Erbil.

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10.

Erbil went on to be the seat of rule of the Adiabene Kingdom in the first century AD, largely located to the northwest in the region of modern-day Diyarbakir in Turkey.

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11.

Erbil is home to a large population of refugees due to ongoing conflicts in Syria.

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12.

Kurdish Parliament in Erbil reconvened after a peace agreement was signed between the Kurdish parties in 1997, but had no real power.

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13.

The Kurdish government in Erbil had control only in the western and northern parts of the autonomous region.

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14.

Erbil has a system of five ring roads encirling the city.

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15.

Erbil has a hot-summer Mediterranean climate, with long, extremely hot summers and mild winters.

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16.

Citadel of Erbil is a tell or occupied mound in the historical heart of Erbil, rising between 25 and 32 metres from the surrounding plain.

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17.

Erbil citadel has been inscribed on the World Heritage List on 21 June 2014.

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