Kurdistan's Erbil Citadel at risk of being removed from UNESCO World Heritage list

Erbil Citadel in Iraqi Kurdistan. Photo: Flickr

HEWLÊR-Erbil, Iraq’s Kurdistan region,— A UNESCO official has expressed worry that the slow progress being made in the reconstruction of the Erbil Citadel could result in the organization removing the historic site from its World Heritage list.

Speaking to NRT, conservation architect May Shaer – who currently works with UNESCO in Iraq – called for the resumption of development in the area of Erbil’s Citadel in order to ensure the site is not delisted.

“If developments and reconstructions go on slowly the way it is going on now, there will be danger that this historic site will be removed from the World Heritage list,” she said.

“We consider Erbil’s Citadel remaining in the World Heritage list as important,” she added.

The Erbil Citadel that dominates the capital of Iraqi Kurdistan was granted World Heritage Site status in June 2014.

The reconstruction of the citadel – which has been listed by UNESCO for the past three years – has cost the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) about $20 million since 2010.

However with the Kurdistan Region facing financial crisis, the upkeep and development of the citadel’s ancient houses and buildings are at risk of being put aside, and the buildings themselves could collapse completely.

Dara Yaqubi, head of the High Commission for Erbil Citadel Revitalization told NRT “There will be risks after progress has slowed down or halted. We are supposed to provide UNESCO with annual reports concerning how works are going on, they ask for clarification over slow progress. We will send our report in this regard, but if they are not satisfied then there is a risk to the UNESCO listing of the heritage site.”

Due to damage that has occurred to the houses located in the citadel, only 200 historic houses can be reconstructed out of the original number of 580.

After reconstruction works started in 2010, only 40 of the 200 houses have so far been restored.

Tourists who visit the citadel have suggested that the KRG use tourism revenue to reconstruct the heritage site. A total of 53,000 tourists visited Erbil’s citadel in 2016.

In 2007, hundreds of families living in Erbil’s citadel were relocated in order to protect the historic structure. The site of the citadel is said to have been occupied for thousands of years.

The Kurdistan Region has over 1,300 known archaeological sites, and one of the most famous sites is the Erbil citadel – considered the oldest, continuously inhabited settlement in the world.