Situated approximately 30 meters (~100 feet) above the rest of Arbil, Iraq, and covering over 100,000 square meters (~1.1 million feet) in total area, the Citadel is a massive landmark within the city. (Really makes me wish I had a wide-angle lens – even then it would be difficult to get into a single frame!) Continually inhabited over the past 7,000 years, the Arbil Citadel is now a dramatic ghost town of sorts. Entry is free, although movement within the Citadel is usually restricted (or depending on who sees you cross the warning tape).
It seems in 2007 as part of an effort to restore the Citadel (and make it a UNESCO World Heritage Site) all of the inhabitants were evicted, save a single family so as to maintain its continually-inhabited streak. The Citadel offers a great view of Arbil, plenty of photo opportunities in front of the large Mubarek Ben Ahmed Sharaf-Aldin statue at the entrance, and is great for wandering if you can find a quick opening off the main path.
You can see more sights from inside the Citadel and the rest of Arbil in my gallery here.
Yes – you do need a wide angel to capture it! I love seeing these photos from Iraq…something we seldom get to see! Thanks for sharing!
Honestly your post about it really has got me thinking!
Hi Anil,
Very intriguing since the structure looks like older Persian architecture. I also checked out your pictures, but gallery2 doesnt let you comment! I esp liked the statue and the mosque.
Hi Priyank,
It was inhabited by various groups and kingdoms and just checked, ironically not the Persians (which is strange considering it’s geographical location!)
I had to turn off the comments in Gallery2 as I was getting tons of spam and the filter wasn’t stopping much at all. I really need to upgrade to Gallery 3 but am continually dragging my feet on it since I’m worried about the possible permalink hiccups.
Fascinating. I know the design is different, but it somehow reminds me of the Colisseum.
I can see that and actually as I made my way up to go inside, I was half expecting there to be large wide open spaces. (It wasn’t the case though, for the most part very tightly packed homes.)