• Address:

    Erbil citadel, Iraq

  • Client:

    Czech Foreign Ministry

  • Description of the work:

    Archaeological and Conservation Survey and Course

  • Realization:

    2006

A pilot project was prepared for the citadel in Erbil with the support of the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The intention of the project was to carry out basic research, to lay the foundations for future systematic archaeological investigations of this valuable site and the gradual rescue and restoration of its monuments.

An archaeological and conservation survey of the Erbil citadel, one of the oldest continuously inhabited sites in the world, was conducted in September and October 2006. Experts from the Department of Archaeology of the University of West Bohemia in Pilsen, the National Heritage Institute in Prague and the Faculty of Civil Engineering of the Czech Technical University in Prague participated in the project provided by GEMA ART.

The project therefore included an archaeological field workshop for local experts and archaeology students of Salahaddin University in Erbil. In 2006, Czech archaeologists were the first foreign experts to participate in the research of this valuable site.

An important part of the project was to carry out a comprehensive survey of the citadel, geophysical, structural, historical and restoration surveys, including documentation in 3D using photogrammetry.

The final report, submitted to the Kurdistan Regional Government, laid the foundation for the preservation of the site. The project initiated the establishment of a separate commission for the future revitalization of the citadel and a project to establish an archaeological and documentation center for the citadel.

The citadel has been included by the UNESCO in the World Heritage List since 21 June 2014.