The pride of Erbil needs urgent care

Niqash.org | Qassim Khidhir Hamad |

The process of revitalising Erbil Citadel is extremely slow. Experts call for immediate attention to Kurdistan Region's archaeological history. They say that if important work is not carried out soon, the walls of the Citadel may fall down putting many of the citadel's houses in danger.

“It hurts me a lot when I see a wall of the citadel has fallen down or a house has been ruined,” said Safeen Hussein, 26, as he sat with his friend on top of Erbil Citadel and looked out over the city.

Hussein said he often hears that the government will renovate and repair the Citadel, but what he actually sees is the citadel falling into worse shape with every passing day.

The estimated 8,000 year-old Citadel located in the center of Erbil, which claims to be the oldest continuously-inhabited city in the world, has attracted thousands of visitors since the overthrow of Saddam Hussein in 2003.

There are over 500 residential buildings inside the Citadel, most of which are built round courtyards and made of brick and short-span timber with mud roofing.

Many buildings have opulent interior decoration with painted ornaments, coloured glass windows, carved doors, arcades supported by timber and marble columns all common.

But the roofs and walls of many buildings are in seriously poor condition and in need of immediate attention. Erosion has almost completely removed roofs in some place and entire blocks of walls have fallen due to negligence and the harsh weather.

According to the High Commission for Erbil Citadel Revitalisation (HCECR) 40 percent of the buildings are in real danger, 40 percent are ruins and 20 percent are in a state described as ‘average’.

At the end of 2007, the Kurdistan Region Government decided to renovate the citadel and asked its inhabitants (several hundred families) to leave the area and accept compensation. One family was asked to remain in the citadel, though, so that life and inhabitation there could continue.

After the evacuation, the Kurdistan government established the HCECR and UNESCO decided to supervise the renovation and work to place Erbil's Citadel in the World Heritage List.

For the first year of its existence, however, the HCECR completely failed to carry out its duties and the government was forced to change the commission’s head and some staff three months ago.

“For almost one year, nothing was done for the citadel,” said Dara Yaquobi, the new head of the commission.

Yaquobi, an architect who worked on the citadel in the 1980s added, “Now we and UNESCO are back to work.”

The citadel’s renovation is divided into three phases. First the houses are to be meticulously documented and a master plan drawn-up. 10 houses in the worst shape will be renovated immediately.

According to Yaqoubi, UNESCO, working with a British architectural practice, has already completed 85 percent of the masterplan and has declared the tender for renovating the ten critically damaged houses. The renovation should begin in April.

The second phase of the project is to re-build the citadel’s infrastructure, including the building of water pipelines and electricity, telephone and internet cables and to renevate the majority of the remaining houses. Yaquobi said that the Kurdistan Region Government allocated US$12.9 million to implement the second phase.

Finally, the citadel’s so-called ‘buffer zone’ will be refurbished. The neighborhoods and shops around the citadel are also very old and their condition is very similar to that of the citadel itself.

“I believe in ten years, the citadel will be in a good shape,” said Yaqoubi. While sitting in his office inside the citadel, Yaqoubi said he hoped for greater involvement from UNESCO. Currently, he feels he does not see their staff enough.

“Their time is very limited. I cannot see them very easily. When they come to the citadel, they are extremely cautious and protected by security forces. There is no need for such procedures because Kurdistan is safe.”

Last week, it was announced in a press conference inside the citadel that UNESCO has decided provisionally to put Erbil Citadel on the World Heritage List.

According to the government's plan, once the citadel is renovated, 50 families will move in to live in there. Khalis Younis Mustafa, who owns an antique museum inside the citadel, is concerned, however.

“The people who will live in the citadel, must be educated people in order to take care of the citadel, not destroy it,” he said.

“The government must make the citadel a very lively place. The people who will in the citadel must at least speak English or Arabic because everyday a lot of tourists visit the citadel and they want ask people questions about the history of the citadel,” he continued.

While locals have legitimate concerns about the citadel’s future residents, the priority for the moment is to renovate the area and return it to a livable state, so that it can return to its rightful place at the centre of Erbil city’s proud social and cultural life.

American University of Iraq graduates first class

By Qassim Khidhir
The Kurdish Globe

AUIS sends its first master's of business administration graduating class into the business world.

Kurdistan Prime Minister Dr. Barham Salih calls the new graduates "the basis of developing the country and building democracy in Iraq and Kurdistan."

Last week, the first group of students graduated from American University of Iraq-Suleimaniya (AUIS). Twenty-nine students received master's degrees in business administration.

The graduating students were elated in the ceremony, which was attended by the Kurdistan Region Prime Minister, Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister, U.S. ambassador to Baghdad, Kurdistan Minister of Higher Education, and a great number of academics.

"It's the day we dreamed about. Now, in our country, we have a high-quality university," said Hiwa Othman Faraj, one of the graduating students.

Graduates remarked that their minds have been opened by the information they learned at the university, including business planning, investing, and finding job opportunities.

The current Kurdistan Prime Minister, Dr. Barham Salih, ex-U.S. ambassador to Baghdad, Zalmay Khalilzad, along with numerous other influential Iraqis, Iraqi expatriates, and American citizens and officials began to formulate a concept for a center for the development, education, and training of the future leaders of Iraq.

Originally, it was Dr. Salih's idea and dream. He stated that he "always dreamed one day to open the American University in Kurdistan Region." At the ceremony, Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Rafeh al-Isawi said that "Dr. Barham Salih is the father of the American University of Iraq project." Al-Isawi noted that "the University is the best investment for developing Iraq."

Dr. Salih thanked all of the people in his speech who helped build the university. He also praised the graduates. "I am proud of you, because you will be the basis of developing the country and building democracy in Iraq and Kurdistan." He hoped that Kurdistan Region would become a gate for all of Iraq, and both Arabs and Kurds, to build a developed and stable area.

Meanwhile, the U.S. ambassador in Iraq, Christopher Hill, promised that United States will always support the university. "Kurdistan Region has a strong economy; it is rich with natural resources and in an important geographical position."

Said Hill: "We [Americans] have been here for seven years; we are not the kind of people to run away from responsibilities. On the contrary, we will stay here until we finish the job, and we have great faith in U.S.-Iraq relations, and U.S.-Kurdistan Region relations."

AUIS opened in October 2007 in Suleimaniya city. It is a nonprofit institution of higher education following the American model of undergraduate and graduate education in the Middle East. The university operates with the Carnegie semester credit model. All instruction at AUIS is in English. The institution is licensed by the Ministry of Higher Education & Scientific Research of the Kurdistan Regional Government of the Republic of Iraq.

The vision of the university is to be the foremost educational institution in the development of future leaders in all fields, so as to promote and preserve a peaceful and democratic Iraq with liberty and prosperity for all its citizens and for the entire region.

The missions are to promote the development and prosperity of Iraq through the careful study of modern commerce, economics, business, and public administration. The mission is also to lead the transformation of Iraq into a liberal and democratic society, through an understanding of the ideals of freedom and democracy.

Note: Photo by AUIS.