Basic Info
Description: Arbil (also written Erbil or Irbil;Kurdish: ھەولێر, Hewlêr, anglicized Hawler; Arabic: اربيل, Turkish: Erbil, Syriac: ܐܪܒܝܠ, Arbel) is believed to be one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world and is the third-largest city in Iraq after Baghdad and Mosul.[1] The city lies eighty kilometres (fifty miles) east of Mosul. The city is the capital of the Kurdistan Autonomous Region and the Kurdistan Regional Government.
Urban life at Arbil can be dated back to at least the twenty-third century BC. The city has been under the rule of many regional powers during that time, such as the Assyrians, the Persians, Sasanians, Arabs, and Ottomans. The city's archaeological museum contains only pre-Islamic objects.
Name:
The name of Arbil appears to be of non-Semitic origin. The initial ar element is a feature of a number of Hurrian place names. The name Arbil was mentioned in the Sumerian holy writings (about 2000 BC) as Arbilum, Orbelum or Urbilum. Later, Akkadians based on similarity and folk etymology rendered the name to mean four gods (arba'ū ilū).[2] The city was a centre for the worship of the goddess Ishtar. In classical times, the city was known by its Aramaic name, Arbela.
The Kurdish name for the city is Hawler meaning the place where sun is worshipped. The name is thought to derive from the Greek helio (sun)
Ancient history:
Under the Median Empire Cyaxares settled a number of Sagarthian tribes of Zagros in Arbela and Kirkuk, probably as a reward for their help in the capture of Nineveh. After revolts of Medes led by Phraortes king of Media (522-521 BC) were put down by Darius I of Persia, the Sagartians of Arbela rebelled against Darius continuing the Median revolts. Darius sent an army led by a Median general named Takhmaspâda, and in the summer of 521 BC defeated Sagartians, led by Tritantaechmes, who claimed to be a descendant of the Great Median King Cyaxares. According to Darius, the rebellion of Arbela was the last revolt of Media which he put down. These incidents are carved on the Behistun Inscription.
The Battle of Gaugamela, in which Alexander the Great defeated Darius III of Persia in 331 BC, took place about one hundred kilometres (sixty miles) west of Arbil. After the battle, Darius managed to flee to the city, and, somewhat inaccurately, the confrontation is sometimes known as the Battle of Arbela.
The name Hewlêr, that is also used for this historic town of Mesopotamia by Kurdish inhabitants derives from Horlêr, meaning "Temple of the Sun" in the Kurdish language. This may have originated from the religions of Mithraism, Yazdanism and Zoroastrianism practiced by Kurds in which the sun and fire play a significant role (see also: Helios).
Erbil became, like Amida (Diyarbekr), part of the region disputed between Rome and Persia under the Sassanians. Under Emperor Trajan it was named the Roman province of Assyria, and after a century of independence was reoccupied by Rome. The Jewish kingdom of Adiabene (Greek form for Hadyab) had its center at Arbil, and the town and kingdom are known in Jewish Middle Eastern history for the conversion of the royal family to Judaism, although the general population may have remained eclectic but with a strong eastern Christian presence.
Travel:
Erbil International Airport, a new airport flying the Kurdish flag instead of the Iraqi flag, was opened in autumn of 2005, with portraits of Kurdish leaders Jalal Talabani, and Masoud Barzani. It has scheduled flights to a number of airports in the Middle East and to Vienna via Austrian Airlines 5 flights weekly to more than 130 destinations world wide. Royal Jordanian flies in from Amman and Kurdistan Airlines flies to many locations across the Middle East. As of 16. November 2009 MCA Airlines of Sweden will open once weekly flights between Erbil and Oslo, Norway (OSL).
Moreover, the KRG is building a new $325 million airport adjacent to the existing terminal, which will have the capacity to accept the largest aircraft in the world, including the Russian Antonov 225 cargo plane and the American C-5 Galaxy. It is scheduled for completion in 2009.
هه ولێر ( به عه ره بی اربیل، به سریانی ܐܪܒܝܠ) سه نته ری شاره وانی هه ولێر و پایته ختی هه رێمی کوردستانی عیراقه، شاری هه ولێری دێرین یه که م شاره له سه ر گۆی ئه م زه مینه که تاوه ک و ئێستاش ژیانی تێدا به رده وامه، وه ێیه م شاری گه وره یه له عیراق له دوای به غداد و موسڵ
ژیان له شاری هه ولێر ده گه ڕێته وه بۆ سه ده ی 23 پێش زاین
ئه م شاره زۆرجار تووشی داگیرکردن و وێرانکاری بوه به درێژایی مێژوو وه زۆر جار داگیر کراوه له لایه ن ئاشوریه کان و فارسه کان و ساسانیه کان و عه ره ب و عوسمانیه کان.
أربيل (الكردية هولير، سريانية ܐܪܒܝܠ) وهي مركز محافظة أربيل وعاصمة اقليم كردستان في شمال العراق . ان مدينة اربيل هي أقدم مدينة مسكونة في العالم .
ثالث أكبر مدينة في العراق بعد بغداد و الموصل وتبعد عن مدينة بغداد حوالي 360 كيلومتر وتقع مدينة الموصل إلى الغرب من اربيل وتبعد عنها حوالي 80 كيلومتر وتبعد عن مدينة السليمانية حوالي 112 كيلو متر .
تاريخ استيطان اربيل بالبشر يعود إلى القرن الثالث و العشرون قبل الميلاد . المدينة تعاقبت عليها سيطرة العديد من الاقليمية مثل الاشوريين , الفرس , الساسانيين , العرب و العثمانيون .
اصل التسمية
يعود أصل تسميتها إلى الاسم الآشوري للمدينة (أربائيلو) أي أربعة آلهة وهي كتابة عن المعابد الآشورية المهمة في اربيل وعاصرت المنطقة ملوكا وقادة كبار مثل الاسكندر الأكبر و صلاح الدين الأيوبي وكانت في العهد الآشوري مركزا رئيسيا لعبادة الآلهة عشتار وكان الآشوريين يقدسون أربيل ويحجوا إليها ملوكهم قبل الأقدام على أي حملة عسكرية وقد فتح المسلمون أربيل وما يجاورها في عهد الخليفة عمر بن الخطاب في سنة 32 هـ بقيادةعتبة بن فرقد و يوجد في اربيل أكثر من 110 تلا" وموقعا اثريا يرجع تاريخها من العصر الحجري وحتى التحرير الإسلامي.ويعيش فيها اقليات أخرى ولها تسمية أربل مرادف لتسميات أخرى مثل أربيل أو هولير .
أهم المعالم الموجودة في مدينة اربيل
قلعة أربيل
تل السيد أحمد
المنارة المظفرية
حديقة سامي عبد الرحمن.
حديقة شاندر.