International Journal of Engineering Technology, Management and Applied Sciences www.ijetmas.com February 2016, Volume 4, Issue 2, ISSN 2349-4476 96 Omar Khasro Akram, Sumarni Ismail and Daniel José Franco The Significant of Urban Form of Erbil City, Iraq Omar Khasro Akram 1 , Sumarni Ismail 2 and Daniel José Franco 3 1 Master Science in Architecture at Faculty of Design and Architecture, Universiti Putra Malaysia. 2 Lecturer at Faculty of Design and Architecture, Universiti Putra Malaysia 3 PhD in Computer Networks at Faculty of Computer Science and Technology, University Putra Malaysia Abstract Erbil is the capital of the Autonomous Region of the Kurdistan within the Federal Republic of Iraq and, according to the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), it’s considered the oldest continuously inhabited city in the world, with around 6000 of age, presenting, although its quick expansion, a relatively compact form when compared to other cities of similar size in Europe and North America. This paper addresses the issue of this unusual compact form, highlighting the history of Erbil city and how it grew around the Citadel present in its nucleus. A descriptive and interpretative approach is adopted to outline the irregular oval shape of the Erbil Citadel and its archaeological heritage, focusing also the need to preserve its facades and interior buildings and the master plans already designed which may change the actual city form and the way people live in it. Keywords: Erbil City, Kurdistan, Urban Form and Erbil Citadel. Introduction Kurdistan or the land of Kurds is a large and mountainous plateau, located in the Middle East. It is distributed over four neighbouring states, south east of Turkey, north east of Syria, north west of Iran, and north of Iraq. The plateau is mainly populated by Kurds, and it is inhabited by over 30 million years. The official language is Kurdish and its spoken in four different dialects:Sorani, Badini, Zazaki and Hawrami. The Islam is the dominant religion in the area (Nooraddin, 2012). Iraqi Kurdistan covers approximately 40,000 square kilometres of land, which is larger in area than the Netherlands (KRG, 2013 a). It has a rapidly increasing population, estimated at more than 5 million, under Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG, 2013 b). Kurdistan consists of 129 cities where Kurds make up approximately 78% of the total population living in these urban centres. The region comprises three governorates: Erbil, Sulimaniah and Duhok (KRG, 2013 b). About 38.2% of Kurdistan’s population lives in these three main cities (Ismael & Ngah, 2010). The region is experiencing an imbalance in the distribution of urban communities. According to theministry of planning, 83.4% of Kurdish citizens live in cities (Erbil Governorate, 2012). The City of Erbil, also known as (Arbella, Aarbil, Urbilum, Arbilim, Arbeletis and in Kurdishas Hawler, is the capital of the autonomous Region of Kurdistan withinthe Federal Republic of Iraq. It was established as the capital of KRG in 1970 (Yaqoobi, Michelmore, & Tawfiq, 2012). Erbil is one of the main cities of the Iraqi-Kurdish region and also the fourth largest city in the country after Baghdad, Basra, and Mosul and works as the centre of culture, trade, and education (Bornberg et al., 2006). The city is located in southern Kurdistan, approximately 360 kilometres north of Baghdad (Nooraddin, 2012). In 2010, the population of the City of Erbil has exceeded 1.3 millions, with an annual growth of 3.1% (KRG, 2013 b). It form follows a concentric pattern of rings surrounding the historic Citadel (Qala) in the city’s centre (Airinc, 2012). Although the city is expanding rapidly, it remains relativelycompact in its form, when compared to other cities of similar size, in North America or Europe (Airinc,2012).Erbil is considered the oldest continuously inhabited city in the world (McGahey, 2006).Sumerians are the first people to appear in Erbil when the Kings of Ur attacked the city twice (2094 BC & 2046 BC) and failed. There are no historical findings or documentation about Erbil from 2000 BC to 1000 BC. The regional centre shifted from Erbil to Mosul (Novacek, 2009). In 800 AD, Erbil was a well- known centre of economic activities. However, by the 13th century, it lost its heyday when the city became a battlefield for Mongol, Persian, and Turkish conquest. In the 19 th century, Erbil’s population ranged between 3000 and 6000 inhabitants, who mostly lived in the Citadel (Bornberg et al., 2006). From 1979 to 2003, the City of Erbil was ruled by the dictatorship of Saddam Hussein. During this period, Kurds were