14 Reasons To Love Erbil

Erbil is the capital of the Kurdistan Region in Iraq, and on 25th September will be part of a referendum to decide if and where an independent Kurdistan might get established. Here are fourteen reasons why this capital already rocks.

14. Erbil is the oldest continuously inhabited city on earth.

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This city was first established 6,000 years ago and is still growing today. Seriously, it has like four major archaeological sites including the enormous citadel and lots of other places being discovered.

13. Erbil is home to Chaldean, Assyrian, Syriac, Armenian, Kurdish, Yezidi, Fayli, Kakaii, Sufi, Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Turkoman, Arab, Zoroastrian, and Sunni people. And has been for centuries and millennia.

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Let's continue to protect and celebrate this amazing diversity of indigenous people. And if none of that appeals to you to learn about, there are also modern communities to join focused on literature, atheism, metal music, or anything else that floats your boat.

12. And the local people get along with all the foreigners who live here as well.

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Thousands of labourers and highly-skilled expats call this city home, and everyone mingles together in the tightly-woven city.

11. The ancient Citadel was built to impress, for thousands of years.

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The historic walled town still stands high on a hill overlooking the city, surrounded by massive fortress walls and Ottoman-era homes.

10. From the Citadel, you can walk down to the renovated bazaar.

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The bazaar has recently been renovated to expand the brick-arched historic section into a massive, labyrinthine complex in Ottoman style.

9. Want to go for a walk? Visit the parks.

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Not only are there lots parks, but they have incredible history too. The largest park is named after Sami Abdulrahman, who championed the total conversion of a massive military zone into a greenspace filled with gardens and recreational facilities for the public.

8. Or go around town. Everywhere you look is public art.

The art tells the modern and older history of the region. By asking some questions about what you see, you can quickly develop a rich understanding and appreciation for why these sculptures are important.

7. The mosques are beautiful and many are historic.

Gorgeous mosques and historic places abound, including a 13th century minaret located near the tomb of the Sultan who had it built.

6. Aside from the mosques, the churches are incredible and go back centuries.

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From ancient churches and monasteries to recently built ones too, there is a congregation and flock in Erbil for every denomination.

5. The city is developing at a jaw-dropping rate.

Everywhere you look are new towers and suburbs being built from barren land. The next time you visit a neighbourhood, it may have changed completely.

4. And has world-class shopping and malls.

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Not just for shopping, the malls are great places to hang out and often have adjacent theme parks and other opportunities for recreation. They also organise festivals for major holidays such as New Year's Eve.

3. Not to mention the sightseeing, events, and activities.

Aside from the things mentioned above, you can take a balloon ride, ride in a ski lift, swim in the pools, and find a new thing to do and see each day of the week.

2. Erbil is amazingly safe and crime-free.

It is so safe that money changers leave their desks to go get tea, with tens of thousands of dollars and millions of dinars laying out. Whenever I go back to the West, it is a shock how Erbil is so much safer than other cities.

1. The friendships you make will last a lifetime.

This has to be one of the friendliest, warmest, greatest cities to call home. No matter what your lifestyle or background, you will find that there are friends for you here.