With outstanding infrastructural improvement due in large part to projects launched by the cutting-edge real estate development company, Empire World, Erbil in Iraq is making a name for itself. Now is a chance to meet this ancient/new city, thought to be one of the oldest inhabited cities in the world.
Hundreds of villas and dozens of business and residential towers, replete with modern amenities, have sprouted up between new green spaces and roads.
The following video advertises Empire World’s influence in Erbil for the new year:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GYcaSbrlf-4[/youtube]
Erbil’s rich history
Despite the planning and building for the future, Erbil has not forgotten its rich history. It is regarded as one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, even believed by some to be the oldest.
Nestled on top of a hill, the Citadel is a vision in ochre. Unlike the citadels of nearby major cities like Cairo, Egypt, or Aleppo and Damascus, Syria and Amman in Jordan, this citadel is not merely a military structure from the past.
Renovations to the Erbil Citadel which started in 2007 have restored hundreds of buildings inside into extravagant homes, hotels, museums, shops, and archaeological research centers. Among the primary tourist attractions inside the citadel is the Kurdish Textile Museum.
Nawzad Hadi, the governor of Erbil, has expressed his view that Erbil is soon to be the “new Dubai.”
City-wide renovations continue, and new complexes and skyscrapers are cropping up as a result of bringing new, futuristic investors on board.
As increasing numbers of tourists roll into the Erbil International Airport, these major developments will be invigorated. But will they be sustainable?
Photo of Erbil Citadel from My Erbil Facebook page
Author: Kelly Vaghenas
A recent graduate of Montclair State University, where she double majored in Dance and Anthropology and minored in Arabic, Kelly loves exploring cultural and performing arts, learning foreign languages, cooking healthy food, and frequenting her favorite ethnic restaurants. Her wanderlust keeps her intent on traveling the world, and starting in the summer of 2011 during her trip to Lebanon, CouchSurfing became her way of finding free accommodation and new friends. She is obsessed with Pinkberry frozen yogurt and, after recently discovering that the majority of the chain's international locations are in the Middle East, is determined to place an order at every counter in the region during her lifetime...
