Erbil update

STILL THERE: As War Destroys Ancient Iraq, Erbil Works to Rebuild Citadel (Ulf Laessing, Reuters).

Erbil, Iraq: High on a rocky outcrop, just 50 miles from the fighting that is wrecking historic sites across Iraq, workers are busy laying out floor tiles, determined to save at least one ancient structure amidst the turmoil.

The team is rebuilding the last remains of the fortified citadel in the Iraqi-Kurdish capital of Erbil, constructed on top of the world’s longest continuously-occupied site according to UNESCO, parts of it up to 8,000-years-old.

While ISIS sends out suicide bombers and snipers in Mosul to the east, the authorities in Erbil are already looking ahead to the day when they can pull in more visitors.

“We not only want to preserve the citadel but also revive it,” said Dara al-Yaqoobi, head of the project. “Around 14 sites are ready for visits. More will come as this is a long-term plan.”

[...]

Although this article does not mention it, Erbil is the site of ancient Adiabene. Queen Helena ruled there and she and her family converted to Judaism in the first century CE. More on Erbil/Adiabene here and links (cf. here and here).