UNESCO in collaboration with the High Commission for the Erbil Citadel Revitalization (HCECR) reopened the site for public visitors

UNESCO in collaboration with the High Commission for the Erbil Citadel Revitalization (HCECR) reopened the site for public visitors. This effort comes within the framework of the project,” Support to Livelihoods through Cultural Heritage Development “, funded by the European Union.

The Erbil Citadel closed in the middle of March 2020 due to the lockdown imposed by COVID-19 and precautionary steps were taken by the Kurdistan Regional Government in Iraq in response to the pandemic.

The Erbil Citadel, a World Heritage Site since 2014, is a fortified settlement on top of an imposing ovoid-shaped tell (a hill created by many generations of people living and rebuilding on the same spot) in the Kurdistan region, Erbil Governorate. A continuous wall of tall 19th century facades still conveys the visual impression of an impregnable fortress, dominating the city of Erbil.