Erbil: Difference between revisions
mNo edit summary |
BarzanPDK16 (talk | contribs) No edit summary |
||
Line 3: | Line 3: | ||
|official_name = Arbil |
|official_name = Arbil |
||
|other_name = |
|other_name = |
||
|native_name = ھەولێر / Hewlêr/Hawler<small> ([[Kurdish language|Kurdish]]) |
|native_name = ھەولێر / Hewlêr/Hawler<small> ([[Kurdish language|Kurdish]]) |
||
|nickname = |
|nickname = |
||
|settlement_type = |
|settlement_type = |
||
|motto = |
|motto = |
||
|image_skyline = Hawler Castle.jpg |
|image_skyline = Hawler Castle.jpg |
||
Line 26: | Line 26: | ||
|pushpin_map = Iraq |
|pushpin_map = Iraq |
||
|pushpin_label_position = <!-- the position of the pushpin label: left, right, top, bottom, none --> |
|pushpin_label_position = <!-- the position of the pushpin label: left, right, top, bottom, none --> |
||
|pushpin_map_caption = Arbil in |
|pushpin_map_caption = Arbil in [[Kurdistan]]. |
||
|pushpin_mapsize = 250 |
|pushpin_mapsize = 250 |
||
|subdivision_type = Country |
|subdivision_type = Country |
||
|subdivision_name = |
|subdivision_name = [[Image:Flag_of_Kurdistan.svg |25px]] [[Kurdistan]] |
||
|subdivision_type1 = Governorate |
|subdivision_type1 = Governorate |
||
|subdivision_name1 = [[Erbil Governorate|Erbil]] |
|subdivision_name1 = [[Erbil Governorate|Erbil]] |
||
Line 41: | Line 41: | ||
|leader_title = Governor |
|leader_title = Governor |
||
|leader_name = Nawzad Hadi |
|leader_name = Nawzad Hadi |
||
|leader_title1 = |
|leader_title1 = |
||
|leader_name1 = |
|leader_name1 = |
||
|leader_title2 = |
|leader_title2 = |
||
Line 49: | Line 49: | ||
|leader_title4 = |
|leader_title4 = |
||
|leader_name4 = |
|leader_name4 = |
||
|established_title = |
|established_title = |
||
|established_date = |
|established_date = |
||
|established_title2 = |
|established_title2 = |
||
|established_date2 = |
|established_date2 = |
||
|established_title3 = |
|established_title3 = |
||
|established_date3 = |
|established_date3 = |
||
|area_magnitude = |
|area_magnitude = |
||
|unit_pref = |
|unit_pref = |
||
|area_footnotes = |
|area_footnotes = |
||
|area_total_km2 = |
|area_total_km2 = |
||
Line 89: | Line 89: | ||
|coordinates_display = inline,title |
|coordinates_display = inline,title |
||
|coordinates_type = type:city_region:IQ |
|coordinates_type = type:city_region:IQ |
||
|elevation_footnotes = |
|elevation_footnotes = |
||
|elevation_m = |
|elevation_m = |
||
|elevation_ft = |
|elevation_ft = |
||
|postal_code_type = |
|postal_code_type = |
||
|postal_code = |
|postal_code = |
||
|area_code = |
|area_code = |
||
Line 102: | Line 102: | ||
|footnotes = |
|footnotes = |
||
}} <!-- Infobox ends --> |
}} <!-- Infobox ends --> |
||
'''Arbil''' (also written '''Erbil''' or '''Irbil |
'''Arbil''' (also written '''Erbil''' or '''Irbil''') ([[Kurdish language|Kurdish]]: {{unicode|ھەولێر}}, ''Hewlêr'', anglicized '''Hawler'''; is the capital of [[South Kurdistan]]. |
||
Urban life at Arbil can be dated back to at least the twenty-third century BC. The city has been under the rule of many regional powers during that time, such as the Assyrians, Babylonians, Persians, Sasanians, Arabs, and Ottomans. The city's archaeological museum contains only pre-[[Islam]]ic artifacts. |
|||
==Name== |
==Name== |
||
The name of Arbil or |
The name of Arbil or appears to be Semitic origin. The initial ''ar'' element is a feature of a number of Hurrian place names. The name ''Arbil'' was mentioned in the [[Sumerian language|Sumerian]] holy writings (about 2000 BC) as ''Arbilum'', ''Orbelum'' or ''Urbilum'' and it may also be Sumerian in origin. |
||
Later, [[Akkadians]] and [[Assyria]]ns based on similarity and folk etymology rendered the name to mean ''four gods'' (arba'ū ilū).<ref>Geoffrey Khan, ''A Grammar of Neo-Aramaic: The Dialect of the Jews of Arbel'', (Leiden:Brill) 1999, p.2,</ref> The city was a centre for the worship of the goddess [[Ishtar]]. |
|||
In classical times, the city was known by its [[Assyrian Neo-Aramaic|Assyrian]] [[Aramaic language|Aramaic]] name, ''Arbela''. Another opinion states that the name of Arbela is composed from [[Sumerian language]] UR (town) + BELA (high) which means the City that located in the upper area; in [[Kurdistan]] there are some locations that have the same appelation: [[Akra]] (or Aqra, عقرة) (upper village: old Hilinic language), Dei bala (high village/ده بالا ) (the old name of the Kurdish city of [[Ilam]] (Iran)) |
|||
The Kurdish name for the city is ''Hawler'' meaning ''the place where sun is worshipped''. The name is thought to derive from the Greek ''helio'' (sun).<ref>[http://iwa.univie.ac.at/iraqarchive65.html The Iraq War & Archaeology Archive 65<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> |
The Kurdish name for the city is ''Hawler'' meaning ''the place where sun is worshipped''. The name is thought to derive from the Greek ''helio'' (sun).<ref>[http://iwa.univie.ac.at/iraqarchive65.html The Iraq War & Archaeology Archive 65<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> |
||
Line 119: | Line 113: | ||
===Ancient history=== |
===Ancient history=== |
||
Under the Median Empire [[Cyaxares]] settled a number of [[Sagarthians|Sagarthian]] tribes of Zagros in Arbela and Kirkuk, probably as a reward for their help in the capture of Nineveh. After revolts of [[Medes]] led by Phraortes king of Media (522-521 BC) were put down by [[Darius I of Persia]], the Sagartians of Arbela rebelled against Darius continuing the Median revolts. Darius sent an army led by a Median general named Takhmaspâda, and in the summer of 521 BC defeated Sagartians, led by Tritantaechmes (in Old Persian ''Ciçataxma''), who claimed to be a descendant of the Great Median King Cyaxares. According to Darius, the rebellion of Arbela was the last revolt of Media which he put down. These incidents are carved on the [[Behistun Inscription]]. |
Under the Median Empire [[Cyaxares]] settled a number of [[Sagarthians|Sagarthian]] tribes of [[Zagros]] in Arbela and [[Kirkuk]], probably as a reward for their help in the capture of [[Nineveh]]. After revolts of [[Medes]] led by Phraortes king of Media (522-521 BC) were put down by [[Darius I of Persia]], the Sagartians of Arbela rebelled against Darius continuing the Median revolts. Darius sent an army led by a Median general named Takhmaspâda, and in the summer of 521 BC defeated Sagartians, led by Tritantaechmes (in Old Persian ''Ciçataxma''), who claimed to be a descendant of the Great Median King Cyaxares. According to Darius, the rebellion of Arbela was the last revolt of Media which he put down. These incidents are carved on the [[Behistun Inscription]]. |
||
The [[Battle of Gaugamela]], in which [[Alexander the Great]] defeated [[Darius III of Persia]] in 331 BC, took place about one hundred kilometres (sixty miles) west of Arbil. After the battle, Darius managed to flee to the city, and, somewhat inaccurately, the confrontation is sometimes known as the ''Battle of Arbela''. |
The [[Battle of Gaugamela]], in which [[Alexander the Great]] defeated [[Darius III of Persia]] in 331 BC, took place about one hundred kilometres (sixty miles) west of Arbil. After the battle, Darius managed to flee to the city, and, somewhat inaccurately, the confrontation is sometimes known as the ''Battle of Arbela''. |
||
The name ''Hewlêr'', that is also used for this historic town of [[Mesopotamia]] by Kurdish inhabitants derives from ''Horlêr'', meaning "Temple of the Sun" in the Kurdish language. This may have originated from the religions of [[Mithraism]], [[Yazdanism]] and [[Zoroastrianism]] practiced by Kurds in which the sun and fire play a significant role (see also: [[Helios]]). |
The name ''Hewlêr'', that is also used for this historic town of [[Mesopotamia]] by [[Kurdish People|Kurdish]] inhabitants derives from ''Horlêr'', meaning "Temple of the Sun" in the [[Kurdish language]]. This may have originated from the religions of [[Mithraism]], [[Yazdanism]] and [[Zoroastrianism]] practiced by [[Kurds]] in which the sun and fire play a significant role (see also: [[Helios]]). |
||
Erbil became, like Amida (Diyarbekr), part of the region disputed between Rome and Persia under the Sassanians. Under Emperor Trajan it was named the [[Assyria (Roman province)|Roman province of Assyria]], and after a century of independence was reoccupied by Rome. The Neo [[Assyrian people|Assyrian]] kingdom of [[Adiabene]] (Greek form for ''Hadyab'') had its center at Arbil, and the town and kingdom are known in Jewish Middle Eastern history for the conversion of the royal family to Judaism, although the general population remained eclectic<!--a better adj. could be found--> but with a very strong Assyrian Christian presence. |
|||
===Christianity in Arbela=== |
|||
Arbela was an early center of [[Church of the East|Assyrian]] Christianity. By AD 100 there was a bishop seated in the city. Most of the early bishops had Jewish names, suggesting that most of the early Christians in this city were converts from Judaism.<ref>Gillman, Ian and Hans-Joachim Klimkeit. ''Christians in Asia before 1500''. (Ann Arbor: University of Michigan, 1999) p. 33</ref> The conversions worked both ways, with some early [[Assyrian people|Assyrian]] Pagans and Christians converting to Judaism then back again. |
|||
The queen of Adiabene (which was a Neo Assyrian kingdom) adopted Judaism, however the majority population were ethnic [[Assyrian people|Assyrians]] who began to adopt Christianity from the 1st Century AD, and the area became a Christian stronghold. It served as the seat of a Metropolitan of the [[Assyrian Church of the East]]. |
|||
From its Christian period come many church fathers and well-known authors in [[Syriac]], the classical language off-shoot of Aramaic. The 13th century Syriac writer Gewargis Warda Arbillaya [from Arbil] identifies the Christian population of Arbil and neighboring areas as Assyrian in a prayer dedicated to the Rogation of the Ninevites. |
|||
===Medieval history=== |
|||
[[File:Great mosque in Hewlêr (Erbil) Kurdistan.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Great Mosque]] |
|||
Until the 10th century Arbil was mainly populated by [[Assyrian people|Assyrians]] and [[Hadhabani]] (Adiabeni) Kurds who gradually migrated northward.{{Citation needed|date=October 2008}} In 1310 the Christian [[Assyrian people|Assyrian]] population suffered a massacre by the Moslem Arabs;<ref>Budge, E.A. Wallis. [[The Monk of Kublai Khan]], [http://darkwing.uoregon.edu/~sshoemak/324/texts/monks_of_kubla_khan.htm]</ref> with the help of Kurds.<ref>''E.J. Brill's First Encyclopaedia of Islam 1913-1936'', M. Th. Houtsma, E. van Donzel eds., p. 1141, 1993 ISBN 9004097961</ref> Its [[Aramaic]]-speaking Assyrian population remained significant in size until destruction of the city by the forces of [[Timur]] in 1397.<ref>[[Edwin Munsell Bliss]], ''[[Turkey and the Armenian Atrocities]]'', (Chicago 1896) p. 153</ref> In the wake of Timur's raids, Arbil increasingly became a Muslim-dominated town. As is attested in the region in general, those who converted to Islam became enfolded into the ethnic Muslim culture of the region, whether Turkish, Arab, Persian or Kurdish. However Assyrian Christianity remained in the area, and the [[Assyrian people|Assyrians]] retained their distinct culture and Aramaic language. Arbil is also the birthplace of the famous Muslim historian and writer of 13th century, [[Ibn Khallikan]]. In the Middle Ages, Arbil was ruled successively by the [[Umayyads]], the [[Abbasids]], the [[Buwayhids]], the [[Seljuks]] and then by the [[atabeg of Erbil|Atabegs of Erbil]] (1131-1232), under whom it was a Turkmen state; they were in turn fowlloed by the [[Ilkhanids]], the [[Jalayirids]], the [[Karakoyun]] and the [[Akkoyun]]. |
|||
===Modern history=== |
===Modern history=== |
||
The modern town of Arbil stands on a [[tell]] topped by an [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]] [[fort]]. During the [[Middle Ages]], Arbil became a major trading centre on the route between [[Baghdad]] and [[Mosul]], a role which it still plays today with important road links to the outside world |
The modern town of Arbil stands on a [[tell]] topped by an [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]] [[fort]]. During the [[Middle Ages]], Arbil became a major trading centre on the route between [[Baghdad]] and [[Mosul]], a role which it still plays today with important road links to the outside world. |
||
The parliament of the [[Kurdistan Autonomous Region]] was established in Erbil in 1970 after negotiations between the Iraqi government and the [[Kurdistan Democratic Party]] led by [[Mustafa Barzani]], but was effectively controlled by [[Saddam Hussein]] until the Kurdish uprising at the end of the 1991 [[Gulf War]]. The legislature ceased to function effectively in the mid-1990s when fighting broke out between the two main Kurdish factions, the [[Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iraq|Kurdistan Democratic Party]] (KDP) and the [[Patriotic Union of Kurdistan]] (PUK). The city was captured by the KDP in 1996 |
The parliament of the [[Kurdistan Autonomous Region]] was established in Erbil in 1970 after negotiations between the Iraqi government and the [[Kurdistan Democratic Party]] led by [[Mustafa Barzani]], but was effectively controlled by [[Saddam Hussein]] until the [[Kurdish People|Kurdish]] uprising at the end of the 1991 [[Gulf War]]. The legislature ceased to function effectively in the mid-1990s when fighting broke out between the two main Kurdish factions, the [[Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iraq|Kurdistan Democratic Party]] (KDP) and the [[Patriotic Union of Kurdistan]] (PUK). The city was captured by the KDP in 1996. The PUK then established an alternative [[Kurdish People|Kurdish]] government in [[Silemani]]. |
||
[[File:Arbil, Iraq.jpg|thumb|right|250px|View over Arbil]] |
[[File:Arbil, Iraq.jpg|thumb|right|250px|View over Arbil]] |
||
While the forces of Saddam Hussein ransacked Arbil, many [[NGO]]'s and international organizations fled. These same organizations were able, with the assistance of the United States and other countries, to accept many Kurds as refugees. Many bound for the US were first taken to [[Guam]]. |
|||
The Kurdish Parliament in Arbil reconvened after a peace agreement was signed between the Kurdish parties in 1997, but had no real power. The Kurdish government in Arbil had control only in the western and northern parts of the autonomous region. |
The [[Kurdistan Regional Government|Kurdish Parliament]] in '''Arbil''' reconvened after a peace agreement was signed between the [[Kurdish People|Kurdish]] parties in 1997, but had no real power. The [[Kurdish People|Kurdish]] government in '''Arbil''' had control only in the western and northern parts of the autonomous region. |
||
⚫ | The new Iraqi constitution of 2005, explicitly recognizes the [[Kurdistan Regional Government]], and the two parallel administrations, in January 2006, signed an agreement to unify the administration of the entire [[Iraqi Kurdistan|Kurdish region]] under a new multi-party government in '''Arbil'''. <ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/4982546.stm BBC NEWS | World | Middle East | Single government for Iraqi Kurds<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> |
||
During the [[2003 Invasion of Iraq]], a [[United States]] special forces task force was headquartered just outside of Arbil. The city was the scene of rapturous celebrations on April 10, 2003 after the fall of [[Baghdad]]. |
|||
⚫ | The new [[Erbil International Airport]] was opened in autumn of 2005. It has scheduled flights to a number of airports in the [[Middle East]] and to [[Vienna]] via [[Austrian Airlines]] 5 flights weekly to more than 130 destinations world wide. [[Royal Jordanian]] flies in from [[Amman]] and [[Kurdistan Airlines]] flies to many locations across the Middle East. On 16 September 2009 weekly flights will open between Erbil and [[Oslo]], Norway. Viking Airlines launched flight between Erbil and Athens, Greece. |
||
Since the overthrow of Saddam Hussein, only isolated, sporadic violence has hit Arbil, unlike many other areas of Iraq. Parallel bomb attacks against Eid celebrations (those celebrations were arranged by the PUK and KDP) killed 109 people on February 1, 2004. Responsibility was claimed by the Islamist group [[Ansar al-Sunnah]], and stated to be in solidarity with the Kurdish Islamist faction [[Ansar al-Islam]]. Another bombing on May 4, 2005 killed 60 civilians. Despite these bombings the population generally feels safe. |
|||
⚫ | |||
⚫ | The new Iraqi constitution of 2005, explicitly recognizes the Kurdistan Regional Government, and the two parallel administrations, in January 2006, signed an agreement to unify the administration of the entire Kurdish region under a new multi-party government in Arbil. |
||
⚫ | The new [[Erbil International Airport]] was opened in autumn of 2005. It has scheduled flights to a number of airports in the Middle East and to [[Vienna]] via [[Austrian Airlines]] 5 flights weekly to more than 130 destinations world wide. [[Royal Jordanian]] flies in from [[Amman]] and [[Kurdistan Airlines]] flies to many locations across the Middle East. On 16 September 2009 weekly flights will open between Erbil and [[Oslo]], Norway. Viking Airlines launched flight between Erbil and Athens, Greece. |
||
⚫ | |||
==Main sights== |
|||
*[[Citadel of Arbil]] |
|||
*[[Mudhafaria Minaret]] |
|||
*[[Mound of Qalich Agha]] |
|||
*[[Qaysari Bazaars]] |
|||
*[[Citadel of Khanzad]] |
|||
==Famous people== |
|||
*[[Jamal Dawod Hasan]] |
|||
*[[Rasheed Al-Waisi Agha]] |
|||
*[[Ramzi Nafie Al-Rasheed Agha]] |
|||
*[[Ihsan Dogramaci]], Turkish pediatric physician |
|||
*[[Ibn Khallikan]] (1211–1282) |
|||
*[[Abdulla Pashew]] (1946–) |
|||
*[[Zubeir Billal Ismail]] (1938 - 1998) |
|||
==Famous Families== |
|||
*[[Bradost]] |
|||
*[[Naqshbandi]] |
|||
*[[Zand]] |
|||
*[[Merzanî]] |
|||
*[[Sîan]] |
|||
*[[Mizurî]] |
|||
==Villages and towns== |
|||
* [[Sidekan]] |
|||
* [[Armota]] |
|||
==Gallery== |
==Gallery== |
||
Line 195: | Line 143: | ||
Image:EIA.jpg|Construction of the new EIA terminal as of Nov 14, 2007. The [[Kurdistan Regional Government]] is putting $325 million in the expansion of the [[Erbil International Airport]]. |
Image:EIA.jpg|Construction of the new EIA terminal as of Nov 14, 2007. The [[Kurdistan Regional Government]] is putting $325 million in the expansion of the [[Erbil International Airport]]. |
||
</gallery> |
</gallery> |
||
==See also== |
|||
{{commonscat|Arbil}} |
|||
*[[Cities of the ancient Near East]] |
|||
==References== |
==References== |
||
{{Reflist}} |
{{Reflist}} |
||
* [http://www.fallingrain.com/world/IZ/11/Arbil.html FallingRain Map - elevation = 536m (Red dots are railways)] |
|||
==External links== |
|||
* [http://www.livius.org/ap-ark/arbela/arbela.html Livius.org: Arbela] |
|||
* [http://www.kurdishglobe.net The Kurdish Globe] - English-language news. |
|||
* [http://www.faoiraq.org/images/word/erbil.pdf GOVERNORATE - ERBIL] |
|||
<!-- Template removed per [[Wikipedia:Templates_for_deletion/Log/2008_April_22#Template:AL_LargestCities]] --> |
|||
[[Category:History of Iraq]] |
|||
[[Category:Cities, towns and villages in Iraq]] |
|||
[[Category:Adiabene]] |
|||
[[Category:Sagarthians]] |
|||
[[Category:Iraqi Kurdistan]] |
[[Category:Iraqi Kurdistan]] |
||
[[Category: |
[[Category:Kurdistan]] |
||
[[Category:Fertile Crescent]] |
[[Category:Fertile Crescent]] |
||
[[Category:Settlements established in the 3rd millennium BC]] |
[[Category:Settlements established in the 3rd millennium BC]] |
Revision as of 01:47, 23 March 2010
Arbil
ھەولێر / Hewlêr/Hawler (Kurdish) | |
---|---|
![]() | |
Country | ![]() |
Governorate | Erbil |
Government | |
• Governor | Nawzad Hadi |
Population (2009 Est.) | |
• Total | 1 293 839 World Gazetteer |
Time zone | GMT +3 |
• Summer (DST) | GMT +4 |
Arbil (also written Erbil or Irbil) (Kurdish: ھەولێر, Hewlêr, anglicized Hawler; is the capital of South Kurdistan.
Name
The name of Arbil or appears to be Semitic origin. The initial ar element is a feature of a number of Hurrian place names. The name Arbil was mentioned in the Sumerian holy writings (about 2000 BC) as Arbilum, Orbelum or Urbilum and it may also be Sumerian in origin.
The Kurdish name for the city is Hawler meaning the place where sun is worshipped. The name is thought to derive from the Greek helio (sun).[1]
History
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/40/Citadel_%28old_city%29_of_Hewl%C3%AAr_%28Erbil%29.jpg/250px-Citadel_%28old_city%29_of_Hewl%C3%AAr_%28Erbil%29.jpg)
Ancient history
Under the Median Empire Cyaxares settled a number of Sagarthian tribes of Zagros in Arbela and Kirkuk, probably as a reward for their help in the capture of Nineveh. After revolts of Medes led by Phraortes king of Media (522-521 BC) were put down by Darius I of Persia, the Sagartians of Arbela rebelled against Darius continuing the Median revolts. Darius sent an army led by a Median general named Takhmaspâda, and in the summer of 521 BC defeated Sagartians, led by Tritantaechmes (in Old Persian Ciçataxma), who claimed to be a descendant of the Great Median King Cyaxares. According to Darius, the rebellion of Arbela was the last revolt of Media which he put down. These incidents are carved on the Behistun Inscription.
The Battle of Gaugamela, in which Alexander the Great defeated Darius III of Persia in 331 BC, took place about one hundred kilometres (sixty miles) west of Arbil. After the battle, Darius managed to flee to the city, and, somewhat inaccurately, the confrontation is sometimes known as the Battle of Arbela.
The name Hewlêr, that is also used for this historic town of Mesopotamia by Kurdish inhabitants derives from Horlêr, meaning "Temple of the Sun" in the Kurdish language. This may have originated from the religions of Mithraism, Yazdanism and Zoroastrianism practiced by Kurds in which the sun and fire play a significant role (see also: Helios).
Modern history
The modern town of Arbil stands on a tell topped by an Ottoman fort. During the Middle Ages, Arbil became a major trading centre on the route between Baghdad and Mosul, a role which it still plays today with important road links to the outside world.
The parliament of the Kurdistan Autonomous Region was established in Erbil in 1970 after negotiations between the Iraqi government and the Kurdistan Democratic Party led by Mustafa Barzani, but was effectively controlled by Saddam Hussein until the Kurdish uprising at the end of the 1991 Gulf War. The legislature ceased to function effectively in the mid-1990s when fighting broke out between the two main Kurdish factions, the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK). The city was captured by the KDP in 1996. The PUK then established an alternative Kurdish government in Silemani.
The Kurdish Parliament in Arbil reconvened after a peace agreement was signed between the Kurdish parties in 1997, but had no real power. The Kurdish government in Arbil had control only in the western and northern parts of the autonomous region.
The new Iraqi constitution of 2005, explicitly recognizes the Kurdistan Regional Government, and the two parallel administrations, in January 2006, signed an agreement to unify the administration of the entire Kurdish region under a new multi-party government in Arbil. [2]
The new Erbil International Airport was opened in autumn of 2005. It has scheduled flights to a number of airports in the Middle East and to Vienna via Austrian Airlines 5 flights weekly to more than 130 destinations world wide. Royal Jordanian flies in from Amman and Kurdistan Airlines flies to many locations across the Middle East. On 16 September 2009 weekly flights will open between Erbil and Oslo, Norway. Viking Airlines launched flight between Erbil and Athens, Greece.
Moreover, the [[]]KRG is building a new $325 million airport adjacent to the existing terminal, which will have the capacity to accept the largest aircraft in the world, including the Russian Antonov 225 cargo plane and the American C-5 Galaxy. It is scheduled for completion in 2009.
Gallery
-
The snow is still on the ground at the higher elevations on a mountain located near Arbil.
-
Kani Omar Aga-This spring-fed waterfall is a favorite tourist destination; it is located outside of Arbil.
-
Wild thistles growing along a roadside outside of Arbil.
-
The Mudhafaria Minaret at Minare Park, Arbil.
-
Remains of a mountain-top villa once used by Saddam Hussein, located just outside of Arbil.
-
Chaldean Church in Arbil.
-
Construction of the new EIA terminal as of Nov 14, 2007. The Kurdistan Regional Government is putting $325 million in the expansion of the Erbil International Airport.