Rashid Agha House in the citadel town in Erbil

The citadel (Qala’t) in the Erbil, the capital of the Kurdistan Regional Government is an ancient elliptical-shaped ruins of a former city perched on a 30 metre high ridge. Renovation projects are in place to restore some of the 500 courtyard houses inside the high perimeter wall.

In 2007 the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) established a High Commission for Erbil Citadel Revitalization (HCECR).The HCECR has undertaken the reconstruction of the Grand Gate and citadel based on old photographs and the memories of former inhabitants. The reconstruction is in cooperation with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Recently the citadel has been included as one of the 100 most endangered cultural sites in the world by the World Monument Fund in New York. Efforts are being made to have it included as one of UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites.

Inside the Main Gate, to the left are a number of houses undergoing renovation, including the Rashid Agha House. The Italian Cooperation Project 2010 is the cooperation of HCECR, the Kurdistan Regional Government, the Ministero Italiano per gli Affari Esteri (MAE), and the Istituto per l’Africa e l’Oriente (IsIAO). The aim is to analyze its history and digital documentation of the site and the building to preserve it integrity. The Rashid Agha House has a fountain (with an olive tree) in the courtyard with raised rooms around it. Inside are murals of bright blue designs, arches, and filigree. The rooms have magnificent views that overlook the city of Erbil. Houses nearby, and in the vicinity of the Textiles Museum, are also being renovated.

http://www.erbilcitadel.org

MARTINA NICOLLS is an international aid and development consultant, and the author of:- The Shortness of Life: A Mongolian Lament (2015), Liberia’s Deadest Ends (2012), Bardot’s Comet (2011), Kashmir on a Knife-Edge (2010) and The Sudan Curse (2009).

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