http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2005/08/22/science/erbil.large.jpg
Georg Gensler (1973)/Photo Researchers, Inc.
The Citadel, a city within a city in Erbil, Iraq, is girded by stone walls and is arguably among the world's oldest neighborhoods.
Max Becherer/Polaris, for The New York Times
The 3,000 residents of the Citadel, mostly Kurdish, are the latest in a line of peoples living on what was probably an agricultural village up to 10,000 years ago.
Max Becherer/Polaris, for The New York Times
Historians hope to excavate parts of the Citadel to find artifacts much older than this statue of the 12th-century historian Mabarek Ahmed Sharafaddin.
Max Becherer/Polaris, for The New York Times
The 100-foot-high Citadel at the center of Erbil was formed as ancient civilizations built on top of previous ones.
Max Becherer/Polaris, for The New York Times
Women walk through the Citadel, a city built on top of itself for thousands of years.
Max Becherer/Polaris, for The New York Times
An aerial view of the Citadel.
Max Becherer/Polaris, for The New York Times
The Kurdish Textile Museum is located just outside the city's walls.
Max Becherer/Polaris, for The New York Times
Residents of the Citadel carry home gas tanks for cooking.
Max Becherer/Polaris, for The New York Times
A Kurdish man participates in Friday prayers at a mosque in the center of the Citadel.
Max Becherer/Polaris, for The New York Times
Much of Erbil's history is not known, but it can be traced back to at least 5,000 B.C. Excavation will uncover more of its rich history.