Iraq's oldest tea house & the citadel

Today was a day to step back in history.  I was headed to the oldest tea house in Iraq (Yes, the entire country!) and the citadel, at the heart of the city and the oldest continuously inhabited community in the world (Yes, the world!).

First, we had to find the correct entrance to the bazaar in order to find the teahouse through the maze of walkways.

A souk (shop) in the bazaar.

The ceiling is newly added.

Found it!

The kitchen with hissing kettles.

 Portraits covered the cavernous walls and ceilings. Then, I found someone I recognized (yes, in the oldest tea house in Iraq!) hanging on the wall.  First, there was the decorated man in the upper left corner of the top frame who is the founder of the school I am working at! 

 . . . And then there was a second person I recognized.  I was sitting underneath a photograph of Saddam Hussein.  

hmm....smiling because my hot and delicious tea was served.

This man has worked at the tea house for 60 or 70 years - a long time.  The black and white photograph in the back is him when he was younger.

See the layer of sugar at the bottom? The tea was VERY hot. The cost? 500 Iraqi Dinar or 40 US cents.

A colleague brought visitors with her, a family of four.  Western children are a rarity here and they attracted a lot of attention.  This man asked to take his photograph with them.

Traditional tea houses are found throughout Iraq. There were men in the tea house.  One was sitting cross legged reading the newspaper.

There were all sorts of things in the tea house.

 This was a very old photograph of the bazaar.

After our tea, we headed to the Citadel. The Citadel is rich in history with evidence of being more than 8000 years old, and is the longest continuously inhabited site in the world.  It has been included as one of the 100 most endangered cultural sites in the world by the World Monument Fund in New York.

Currently under renovation (until 2025 through Unesco and the Kurdistan Regional Government) there are signs for the revitalization project at most entry points.  Too bad the museums inside were closed.  Notice the balcony on the left side of the outer wall (photo of interior is below).

We climbed the road rising about 100 feet to the top of the citadel mound. The earthen mound has been formed by successive layers of settlements from the Assyrian, Akkadian, Babylonian, Persian and Greek.  The mound enabled the Citadel to survive numerous sieges and fierce attacks.  An abundance of ground water sustained the population throughout its history. 

The Iraqi Kurdistan flag is at the center of the citadel and the flag can be seen from miles away.

Apparently, there are three mosques, a public bath (Hammam), 7 historic graves, two gates, and several open urban spaces. 

Near the flag post is one of three mosques in the walled community.  The dome from the hammam (public bath) is on the left.

This section was inaccessible.  A whistle blew each time we attempted to walk down a small walkway or into a structure informing us that it was off limits due to the renovations. 

Pretty garden near the mosque.

This is one structure that has been renovated. 

We wandered down another walkway and heard no whistle, so we continued. 

As I walked, fine dust from the soft, thick pathway created small dust clouds. Glad I wore my "I don't care" sandals.

What was life like here thousands of years ago?

Pretty design in the doorway.

Interesting pattern in this brick wall.

 

A wealthier home with beveled entry arch, wall designs and courtyard.

The Citadel rises about 100 feet (30 m) above the growing city that surrounds it and what used to be wheat fields extending all the way to the Greater Zab River thirty kilometres to the west.  Notice the color of the cars.

This is the balcony that could be seen on the outer wall from the photo above.  It was a wealthier home having a courtyard, balcony, and beautiful tiled flooring.

Many Eucalyptus trees are here.

We discovered an archeological dig!

By this point, my feet were covered in fine dust and the same color as the ground.  I washed and washed my shoes and still cannot remove the dust.  
 
Next time, I'll go to the other side of the citadel where more artwork is preserved.

To learn more about the Erbil Citadel, go to: http://www.erbilcitadel.org/
and
http://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/5479/