Poland's foreign ministry is taking part in a programme that aims to restore Iraq's ancient citadel of Erbil.

The citadel, which dates back to 6000 BC, is located in the city of Erbil, capital of the north-eastern autonomous region of Kurdistan.

The local government, which is applying to have the site inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, has been endeavouring to bring foreign specialists to Erbil, but owing to the volatile situation in Iraq, the task has proved difficult.

Nevertheless, Polish archaeologists have now joined a small group of French, Czech and Italian specialists.

Polish efforts are currently focused on one building within the citadel, and work is being carried out under the aegis of the Polish Embassy in Bagdad.

In a statement released by the foreign ministry, Ambassador to Iraq Lech Stefaniak stated that the building might even serve as “a sort of Polish cultural institute” in the region.

“So far, Polish archaeologists have designed a construction and conservation project, which we handed over to the Commission for the Revitalisation of the Citadel in Erbil on 10 December,” he revealed.

Stefaniak noted that the revitalisation project will last for about 3-4 years.

“Next year, the Foreign Ministry will allocate 200,000 zloty (49,200 euro) to continue the project work,” he confirmed.



By Soran Ali