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Erbil

Erbil · أربيل

City overview

Erbil, also called Hewlêr or Hawler, is the capital of the Kurdistan Region and of Erbil Governorate. It occupies the northern plain near the uplands. The elevated citadel anchors the historic centre, while roads, housing and institutions spread around it. City, governorate and regional statistics refer to different territories.

jan kurdistani · Taken on 17 April 2008 · CC BY-SA 2.0 ↗

Erbil Citadel

1 / 1 · Erbil Citadel

jan kurdistani · Taken on 17 April 2008 · Read original · CC BY-SA 2.0

Display crop only; original file unchanged

City facts

Population

1,001,219people

2024-11-25 census · City / urban centre

2024 census urban scope; CityPopulation compilation of Iraqi statistics, not governorate population.

Sources & licences · 1

Area

—

No city release with verified boundary and year found; provincial or national values are not substituted.

GDP · current US dollars

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No city release with verified boundary and year found; provincial or national values are not substituted.

GDP per capita · current US dollars

—

No city release with verified boundary and year found; provincial or national values are not substituted.

A regional capital near the uplands

Erbil, also called Hewlêr or Hawler, is the capital of the Kurdistan Region and of Erbil Governorate. It occupies the northern plain near the uplands. The elevated citadel anchors the historic centre, while roads, housing and institutions spread around it. City, governorate and regional statistics refer to different territories.

Sources & licences · 4

Wikipedia contributors · Erbil

Coverage
Cited background only; see dated evidence capture. Current statistics are separate fact records.
Source publication date
—
Source read date
2026-10-13
Last content verification
2026-10-13T00:41:14.080353+00:00
Content revision
1378095934 2026-10-02T23:22:48Z
Licence
CC BY-SA 4.0
Author history

UNESCO World Heritage Centre · Erbil Citadel

Coverage
Cited background only; see dated evidence capture. Current statistics are separate fact records.
Source publication date
—
Source read date
2026-10-13
Last content verification
2026-10-13T00:40:58.402178+00:00
Content revision
—
Licence
Unverified

Kurdistan Region Statistics Office · Population: 2024 census

Coverage
Cited background only; see dated evidence capture. Current statistics are separate fact records.
Source publication date
—
Source read date
2026-10-13
Last content verification
2026-10-13T00:41:10.475337+00:00
Content revision
—
Licence
Unverified

History on a settlement mound

The citadel is a settlement mound and urban quarter rather than simply a military fortress. UNESCO inscribed it in 2014 for its ancient settlement and surviving urban form. Archaeological layers, written evidence and visible buildings belong to different times. The standing houses are not all millennia old; a superlative such as “oldest city” cannot replace specific evidence.

Sources & licences · 4

Wikipedia contributors · Erbil

Coverage
Cited background only; see dated evidence capture. Current statistics are separate fact records.
Source publication date
—
Source read date
2026-10-13
Last content verification
2026-10-13T00:41:14.080353+00:00
Content revision
1378095934 2026-10-02T23:22:48Z
Licence
CC BY-SA 4.0
Author history

UNESCO World Heritage Centre · Erbil Citadel

Coverage
Cited background only; see dated evidence capture. Current statistics are separate fact records.
Source publication date
—
Source read date
2026-10-13
Last content verification
2026-10-13T00:40:58.402178+00:00
Content revision
—
Licence
Unverified

Kurdistan Region Statistics Office · Population: 2024 census

Coverage
Cited background only; see dated evidence capture. Current statistics are separate fact records.
Source publication date
—
Source read date
2026-10-13
Last content verification
2026-10-13T00:41:10.475337+00:00
Content revision
—
Licence
Unverified

Citadel, bazaar and urban parks

Read the citadel alongside nearby markets to understand the centre. Qaysari’s shops and passages illustrate bazaar space, and the Mudhafaria minaret provides a medieval architectural reference. Sami Park and Jalil Khayat Mosque represent different modern functions. Markets, religious buildings and parks need their own explanations of history, use and spatial form.

Mudhafaria Minaret · 2014
Mudhafaria Minaret · 2014 · 2014-07-06Vladimir Lysenko (I.) ↗CC BY-SA 4.0
Sources & licences · 4

Wikipedia contributors · Erbil

Coverage
Cited background only; see dated evidence capture. Current statistics are separate fact records.
Source publication date
—
Source read date
2026-10-13
Last content verification
2026-10-13T00:41:14.080353+00:00
Content revision
1378095934 2026-10-02T23:22:48Z
Licence
CC BY-SA 4.0
Author history

UNESCO World Heritage Centre · Erbil Citadel

Coverage
Cited background only; see dated evidence capture. Current statistics are separate fact records.
Source publication date
—
Source read date
2026-10-13
Last content verification
2026-10-13T00:40:58.402178+00:00
Content revision
—
Licence
Unverified

Kurdistan Region Statistics Office · Population: 2024 census

Coverage
Cited background only; see dated evidence capture. Current statistics are separate fact records.
Source publication date
—
Source read date
2026-10-13
Last content verification
2026-10-13T00:41:10.475337+00:00
Content revision
—
Licence
Unverified

Institutions, services and regional connections

Regional-capital functions concentrate administration, commerce, education and health services. The airport and roads connect places inside and outside the region, while expansion changes the urban scale. City services, regional petroleum and finance, governorate population and city population are separate subjects. KRSO governorate density is contextual evidence, not built-up-city density.

Sources & licences · 4

Wikipedia contributors · Erbil

Coverage
Cited background only; see dated evidence capture. Current statistics are separate fact records.
Source publication date
—
Source read date
2026-10-13
Last content verification
2026-10-13T00:41:14.080353+00:00
Content revision
1378095934 2026-10-02T23:22:48Z
Licence
CC BY-SA 4.0
Author history

UNESCO World Heritage Centre · Erbil Citadel

Coverage
Cited background only; see dated evidence capture. Current statistics are separate fact records.
Source publication date
—
Source read date
2026-10-13
Last content verification
2026-10-13T00:40:58.402178+00:00
Content revision
—
Licence
Unverified

Kurdistan Region Statistics Office · Population: 2024 census

Coverage
Cited background only; see dated evidence capture. Current statistics are separate fact records.
Source publication date
—
Source read date
2026-10-13
Last content verification
2026-10-13T00:41:10.475337+00:00
Content revision
—
Licence
Unverified

Culture and ways of looking

Settlement traditions, textiles, museums, market goods and languages offer cultural entry points. Kurdish culture is important, but residents do not share identical experiences or identities. Architectural photographs reveal height, lanes, courtyards and masonry; market images show shops and circulation. The plain and nearby mountains have different seasonal environments.

Sources & licences · 4

Wikipedia contributors · Erbil

Coverage
Cited background only; see dated evidence capture. Current statistics are separate fact records.
Source publication date
—
Source read date
2026-10-13
Last content verification
2026-10-13T00:41:14.080353+00:00
Content revision
1378095934 2026-10-02T23:22:48Z
Licence
CC BY-SA 4.0
Author history

UNESCO World Heritage Centre · Erbil Citadel

Coverage
Cited background only; see dated evidence capture. Current statistics are separate fact records.
Source publication date
—
Source read date
2026-10-13
Last content verification
2026-10-13T00:40:58.402178+00:00
Content revision
—
Licence
Unverified

Kurdistan Region Statistics Office · Population: 2024 census

Coverage
Cited background only; see dated evidence capture. Current statistics are separate fact records.
Source publication date
—
Source read date
2026-10-13
Last content verification
2026-10-13T00:41:10.475337+00:00
Content revision
—
Licence
Unverified

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