the city of Erbil. Written and iconographic historical records document the antiquity of settlement on the site: Erbil is associated with Arbela, an important Assyrian political and religious centre and is mentioned, with a remarkable continuity of its name (Irbilum, Urbilum, Urbel, Arbail, Arbira, Arbela, Erbil/Arbil), since pre-Sumerian times in several written sources. Archaeological finds and investigations suggest that the mound conceals the levels and remains of several layers of previous settlements, while the immediate and wider setting has revealed traces connected to the early development of the settlement

Erbil Citadel is a rare surviving example of a formerly fortified settlement which has grown up on the top of an imposing ovoid-shaped tell. The artificial topography of the archaeological mound conditioned the urban form of the settlement, the structure of the Ottoman period urban fabric of which is clearly legible, in the maze of alleys and cul-de-sacs radiating from the main Grand Gate.

The original fortifications of the Citadel were in time replaced by houses and the continuous wall of tall 19th century house façades still conveys the visual impression of an impregnable fortress dominating the