The Qishla, built in 1863 as an Ottoman era army garrison, used during the winter months, lies “in a state of near collapse today,” the United Nations Assistance Mission in Iraq (UNAMI) said Monday.
The oldest part of Kirkuk – the historic Citadel – was built in 884 BC, standing atop an artificial mound 130 feet high. With towers added later, along with a 1,000-year old minaret and the Red Church, the modern city eventually grew around it.
Iyad Tariq, director-general of the Iraqi Department for Culture and Antiquities, grew up near the Citadel. He says it was once home to 850 families, a church, two mosques, minarets, a school, restaurants and cafes, monuments, and a bustling market.
“With support from UNESCO and the international community, the Citadel can be restored to its former glory,” said Tariq.
“The Citadel exemplifies the multi-cultural society of Kirkuk,” said Martijn Dalhuijsen, head of the UN Development Coordination office in Kirkuk.
UN delegation visits Kirkuk heritage sites, November 5, 2018. Photo: Harith Al-Obaidi / UNAMI
It contains Islamic, Christian, Jewish, Arabic, Seljuk, Turkmen, and Turkish traces.
On November 5, Alice Walpole, the UN secretary-general’s deputy special representative for Iraq, led a delegation of UNESCO, UNAMI, and UN Development Coordination Office officials into Kirkuk to assess the two historical structures and discuss options for restoration.
Prior to the initial assessment, meetings were held regarding UN support for preserving cultural heritage sites.
UNESCO architect Giovanni Fontana, who specializes in historic preservation, and Cultural Programme Officer Sami Al-Khoja, who was part of the restoration team for the Erbil Citadel, took part in the meetings.
Rakan al-Jabouri, the acting Kirkuk governor, and Colonel Wisam Abdullah, from Kirkuk’s Antiquities Police, also joined the assessment visit.
“It would be a valuable symbol of reconciliation and recovery to restore in the heart of the diverse city of Kirkuk,” Dalhuijsen said. The restoration process would also provide much needed job opportunities for construction workers, craftsmen, and artisans, he added.
Restoration could also encourage tourism and religious pilgrimages, while instilling a sense of pride for Kirkuk residents, the UN official added.
Considered the ‘Kurdistan's Jerusalem’, Kirkuk city is disputed between the Iraq and the Kurdistan Region.
Article 140 of the Iraqi constitution calls for a referendum to be held to determine whether the ethnically mixed population would like to become part of the Region or remain part of Iraq. The referendum has never been held.
In 2014, when ISIS threatened to take over Kirkuk, the Iraqi Army left the city undefended. The Peshmerga moved in to hold the jihadists at bay.
On October 16, in the wake of the September 2017 Kurdistan independence referendum, the Iraqi Army and Iran-backed Hashd al-Shaabi Shiite paramilitias took over Kirkuk. The Peshmerga withdrew from the province and several Kurdish officials were removed from their posts.
More than a year later, the situation in Kirkuk has not been normalized and security remains precarious. The issue of Kirkuk’s oil in particular continues to cause rancor between Erbil and Baghdad.
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