Fortress · Hewlêr, Başûr · 6,000+ years
Hewlêr Citadel (Qelay Hewlêr) is one of the oldest continuously inhabited settlements on Earth, with roots going back over 6,000 years. The name “Arbela” is of Hurrian origin, reflecting the early indigenous non-Semitic and non-Indo-European cultures of the region, such as the Hurrians and later the Gutians, a people many scholars link ethnically or culturally to early Kurdish groups/tribes.
Posted by Zagrosian · 2 June 2025
Posted by Zagrosian · 2 June 2025
The Hurrians, another important pre-Indo-European people, and considered proto-Kurds, are credited with the ancient name Urbilum or Arbela.
Posted by Zagrosian · 2 June 2025
Also in the 3rd millennium BCE, the Gutians, a people from the Zagros mountains and also ancestors of the Kurds, controlled the region. The city was later part of Assyrian, Median, and Achaemenid empires/periods during which Zagros-based Kurdish tribes (e.g., Carduchi) were active in and around the region.
Posted by Zagrosian · 2 June 2025
During Islamic times, Hewlêr became a stronghold for Kurdish emirs. Most notably, Muzaffar al-Din Gökböri, a close ally of Saladin (both Kurdish), ruled Hewlêr and developed it as a cultural and military hub. Under his leadership in the 12th century, the citadel became a center of Islamic learning and Kurdish political power.
Posted by Zagrosian · 2 June 2025
Posted by Zagrosian · 2 June 2025
Today, Hewlêr is the capital of the Kurdistan Regional Government, and the citadel is a powerful symbol of Kurdish heritage. The site is recognized by UNESCO, not just for its antiquity, but also as a living symbol of Kurdish continuity, resistance, and presence in the region for millennia.
Posted by Zagrosian · 2 June 2025
Posted by Zagrosian · 2 June 2025
Posted by Zagrosian · 2 June 2025
Posted by Zagrosian · 2 June 2025
Posted by Zagrosian · 2 June 2025
Posted by Zagrosian · 2 June 2025
UNESCO – Hewlêr Citadel: https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1437
Posted by Zagrosian · 2 June 2025
Cambridge University Press – The Hurrians (by I. M. Diakonoff, 1984):
Note: Confirms that Arbela (Urbilum) was originally a Hurrian city, predating the Assyrian period.
The Gutians and the Zagros Tribes:
Journal from Iraq (British Institute for the Study of Iraq) that details Gutians were mountain tribes from the Zagros, many scholars relate them to proto-Kurdish peoples or ancestors of modern Kurds.
Another suggested reading is: “The Gutians” by G. Cameron, Journal of Near Eastern Studies, 1936.
David McDowall – A Modern History of the Kurds (1996):
Details Kurdish governance in Hewlêr during the Ayyubid and post-Ayyubid periods.
Sharafnama (1597) – by Sharafkhan Bidlisi:
Chronicles the Kurdish principalities, including references to Kurdish control of key cities like Hewlêr, Amed, Bedlîs, etc.
Edmonds, C. J. – Kurds, Turks and Arabs (1957):
Documents the ethnic and cultural Kurdish presence in Hewlêr and the surrounding areas in the early 20th century.
Posted by Zagrosian · 2 June 2025
Posted by Zagrosian · 20 June 2025
Posted by Zagrosian · 5 July 2025