View over Erbil Airport

When the Airbus 380 entered over Iraqi space i was eager to look down through the window. All my eye could grasp was desert..long strectches of desert. I could see oil fields burning at regular intervals. Finally the plane started its descend towards Erbil Internatioal Airport. To my surprsie the airport was much better than what i had in mind.

Erbil, the Capital City of the Kurdish Regional Government in Iraq. and is about 350 kilometers northeast of Baghdad, 80 kilometers southeast of Mosul, and 96 kilometers northwest of Sulaimaniya

The chauffer was waiting at the passengers lounge holding my name! I had learnt few Kurdi words , i tried to greet him in local language which somehow he understood. It was a business trip so he took me straight to office . After meeting my colleagues i went over to my hotel room .
I was exhausted from all the travel and the long transit hours drain you to the bits!

Unfortunately it was start of the week so resting was not an option. When the hectic week came to an end ,which i was eagerly waiting for , i arranged my backpack and went for the city tour!
There is just one historical place in Erbil , The Citadel!

The Citadel town of Erbil lies in the middle The overall form of the citadel town is circular but more elliptical to be precise. It rises some 30 meters above the ground level of the lower city  Its overall area is slightly more than 10 hectares (102,000 square meters). It is surrounded by a steep earthen mound in all directions which made it very difficult for any attacker to scale it. The town is largely occupied by traditional courtyard houses and with few public buildings reached through a labyrinth of narrow alleyways. The houses that are built on the perimeter are contiguous and form a solid wall very similar to fortified citadels of medieval times.. Because of its imposing height, yellow-ochre color, and the solid perimeter wall, the town is perhaps one of the most dramatic visual experiences in the Middle East.

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