Erbil Rotana

The Mudhafaria Minaret, also know among Kurds as Choly Minaret, is a minaret located in new the Minare Park on the west region of Arbil, Iraq. They minaret is 36 m high, was built in 1190-1232 AD (630 – 586 according to Islamic Calendar) during the reign of Muzaffar Al-Din Abu Sa’eed Al-Kawkaboori, the king of Arbil at that time. The minaret is composed of a high octagonal base and a tall cylindrical shaft, with a balcony located between the base and the shaft. It is s built of baked bricks, the base being decorated with two tiers of niches with pointed arches, two on each of the eight faces that are inscribed in rectangular frames. The balcony parapet is carved with twenty-four small niches, the access door to the minaret steps is on the eastern side of the octagonal base and leads top to the balcony. From there a small door gives access to steps inside the cylindrical shaft that led to the second balcony now collapsed. The shaft tapers inward and is decorated with several bands of interlocking diagonal Hazar-Baf motifs that are separated with thin bands. Examples of Kufi calligraphy can be seen, showing the names of Muhammad and Mas'oudi Muhammadi, the builders of the Minaret.

The Citadel of Erbil is a tell or occupied mound, and the historical city centre of Arbil in Iraq. It has been claimed that the site is the oldest continuously inhabited town in the world. The earliest evidence for occupation of the citadel mound dates to the 5th millennium BC, and possibly earlier. It appears for the first time in historical sources during the Ur III period, and gained particular importance during the Neo-Assyrian period. During the Sassanian period and the Abbasid Caliphate, Arbil was an important centre for Christianity. After the Mongols captured the citadel in 1258, the importance of Arbil declined. During the 20th century, the urban structure was significantly modified, as a result of which a number of houses and public buildings were destroyed. In 2007, the High Commission for Erbil Citadel Revitalization (HCECR) was established to oversee the restoration of the citadel. In the same year, all inhabitants, except one family, were evicted from the citadel as part of a large restoration project. Since then, archaeological research and restoration works have been carried out at and around the tell by various international teams and in cooperation with local specialists. The government plans to have 50 families live in the citadel once it is renovated. The buildings on top of the tell stretch over a roughly oval area of 430 by 340 metres (1,410 × 1,120 ft) occupying 102,000 square metres (1,100,000 sq ft). The only religious structure that currently survives is the Mulla Afandi Mosque. The mound rises between 25 and 32 metres (82 and 105 ft) from the surrounding plain. When it was fully occupied, the citadel was divided in three districts or mahallas: from east to west the Serai, the Takya and the Topkhana. The Serai was occupied by notable families; the Takya district was named after the homes of dervishes, which are called takyas; and the Topkhana district housed craftsmen and farmers.

The Erbil International Fair Ground is centrally located in the heart of the city of Erbil, and is known as a world-class venue in Iraq. Situated nearby to the Sami Abdulrahman Park, the exhibition area is about 47,000 m2 out of which around 10,000 m2 is a closed area while the open space is of more than 8,000 m2. Providing a wide array of global and highly professional services, the Erbil International Fair Ground is equipped with exhibition halls of 4,200 sq mt, a ceremony pavilion, sports ground, restaurants, artificial lagoon, advertising tower, a centralised heating and fire prevention station, traditional market, pedestrian ways and landscape, common areas and lastly an efficient parking facility. All these unique features together combined with the highly specialized skills of like-minded professionals enable in making this an outstanding forum.

Stroll around in the deserted city inside the hilltop castle (kale)in the centre of Arbil. Hundreds of houses that appears to have been abandoned in a hurry. Walk into the court yards, sleeping rooms and bed rooms or up to the rooftop terraces to enjoy an spectacular panorama of Arbil or ponder what life might have been in this place before the inhabitants were repopulated.