Citadel
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Erbil Citadel
Erbil Citadel, locally known as Qalaat Erbil, is a monumental fortified tell settlement situated atop an oval artificial hill in the heart of Erbil, Kurdistan Region, Iraq. Spanning over 10 hectares and rising 30 meters above the surrounding modern city, the citadel claims to be one of the oldest continuously inhabited human settlements in the world, with archaeological layers dating back over 7,000 years to the 5th millennium BCE. Recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage site, its dense maze of 19th-century Ottoman yellow-brick courtyard houses, historic hammams, narrow winding alleys, and subterranean ancient vaults are celebrated in Kurdish folklore for ghost sightings of ancient Assyrian guards, weeping spirits, and phantom footsteps.