Government plans to renovate ancient citadel in
Kurdistan’s capital.
November 25, 2009
ERBIL-Hewlêr,
Kurdistan region 'Iraq', — Iraqi
Kurdistan government’s bid to link its rich
archeological heritage to economic development got a
boost this week with a string of new discoveries and
an important step in the stalled renovation of
Erbil’s iconic citadel.
For thousands of years, the citizens of Erbil sought
refuge from invaders in the ancient hilltop fortress
at the heart of the city. In more recent times, the
citadel has been a beacon for refugees seeking
safety from warfare inside its crumbling walls.
In recent weeks, progress has been made in the
preservation and study of the site, believed to be
one of the oldest continuously inhabited human
settlements in the world. Since the early 20th
century, scholars have pleaded with the authorities
to protect the ancient fortress – believed to be
8,000-years-old - but until 2007, it was still
inhabited despite its state of disrepair.
“The future is bright. If we could revitalise the
sites in the region, believe me, each year millions
of people might visit Iraqi Kurdistan,” said Nihad
Qoja, the mayor of Erbil, the capital of Iraqi
Kurdistan.
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Erbil (Hewler) city
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“This is going to bring commerce for the city,
improving the livelihoods of locals. Look at Egypt …
It is greatly befitting from archaeological
tourism.”
Following meetings held last month in Amman, Jordan,
officials from Erbil and the United Nations cultural
agency, UNESCO, said the citadel is on its way to a
complete renovation and expect it to become a centre
of tourism.
Mohamed Djelid, UNESCO’s country director for Iraq,
said structural work will begin next year. A master
plan envisages a visitor-friendly area complete with
hotels, restaurants, museums and galleries.
“The fact that the citadel is going to be
rehabilitated in next few years will bring more life
to Erbil city,” Djelid said in a phone interview
from Jordan.
“Iraq is so rich in terms of cultural heritage. The
citadel is on par with Petra in Jordan or the old
city in Yemen. This is something Iraqis can be proud
of.”
The 100,000-square-metre cite is built on
archaeological layers left behind by Sumerian,
Babylonian, Assyrian, Greek and Islamic cultures,
according to the Kurdistan Regional Government, KRG,
High Commission for Erbil Citadel Revitalisation.
It is one of an estimated 3,000 archaeological sites
in the Iraqi Kurdistan region, according to a report
this week by Kurdistani Nwe, a local newspaper.
Despite pleas from scientists and scholars going
back to the 1930s, a full excavation of the citadel
has never been conducted.
“Nobody knows who built the citadel. We’re talking
about 8,000 years ago, so it’s a real mystery,”
Djelid said. “During the time of Saddam, studying
the site was not a priority, and until now the
Kurdish government didn’t have the capacity. There
has been no research like we’re talking about now.
I’m sure we’re going to find a lot of fascinating
things in the city.”
While archaeological experts and preservationists
have championed efforts to rehabilitate the site,
many homeless families who resided there for decades
are sour about having to be relocated - and still
consider it home.
The influx of squatters, which reached approximately
840 families by 2007, took its toll on the fortress,
whose drainage system could not cope with the number
of occupants, many of whom were refugees from
Saddam’s Anfal campaign.
The squatters, too, were at risk. After an outer
wall collapsed in early 2007, the government gave
each family a 250-square-metre plot of land and
4,000 US dollars to build a home in a resettlement
area some ten kilometres outside of Erbil. Even
though the families agreed to the compensation
package, they have found it hard to adjust to their
new home.
Critics have also charged that the KRG has moved too
slowly in its preservation efforts, expressing
frustration with the citadel’s ongoing deterioration
and the lack of transparency surrounding the
multi-million dollar renovation plans.
But Dara Yaqubi, a former member of the commission
to revitalise the citadel, told IWPR the KRG will
pay for the bulk of the estimated 35 million dollar
renovation plan. According to Djelid, UNESCO will
provide a team of experts and seek international
funding.
“The plan is to make the citadel a working city
again, but it needs huge, huge work,” Djelid said.
“What we are going to do is start in a few houses –
10 or 20 that urgently need work
- and we will try our best to use original
materials. This will give us a model, so people can
see that something concrete is happening.”
Yaqubi said the next phase of reconstruction will
begin in four or five months. During that time, the
KRG will campaign for the citadel to be named a
UNESCO world heritage site,www.ekurd.neta
distinction that Djelid expects will attract
tourists and jobs. Iraq has only three such sites –
two of which are listed as “in danger” due to
neglect and decades of war.
Meanwhile, other ancient archaeological remains in
the Erbil area are being discovered.
A team of German experts from the German Institute
of Archaeology announced at a press conference on
November 19 that a joint Iraqi-German excavation
would begin work on a burial chamber discovered
recently about 100 m from the base of the citadel.
It was found by a local resident digging a backyard
pit and estimated to date from 700 BC. An Iraqi team
of archaeologists found three sarcophagi, and then
asked their German counterparts to help with further
excavation.
Additionally, local newspaper reports this week told
of an ancient statue unearthed by a farmer in Hasne
village, in Erbil governorate’s Barzan district,
while he was ploughing his field.
“Archeologists would always say that there had to be
other archeological sites in Erbil other than the
citadel. The discovery of the tomb and another one
which [the German experts] will visit … proved the
archaeologists were right,” said Qoja, Erbil’s
mayor. “There might be many more archeological sites
in central Erbil, but the city has not been surveyed
yet.”
Hogar Hasan is an IWPR local editor based in
Erbil, Kurdistan region of Iraq.
Copyright, respective author or news agency,
iwpr net
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