Arbil (or Erbil, Irbil; known as Arbela in Syriac and Hewler in Kurdish) is one of Iraq's larger cities, located at 36.12N 44.01E about eighty kilometres (fifty miles) east of Mosul. Its population was estimated in 2005 to be about 990,000 people. It is the capital of the Kurdistan Regional Government. Syriac is an Eastern Aramaic language that was once spoken across much of the Fertile Crescent. ... // Geographic distribution The Kurdish languages or Kurdish dialects are spoken in the region loosely called Kurdistan including Kurdish populations in parts of Iran (Persia), Iraq, Syria and Turkey. ... MosÅ«l (36°22′ N 43°07′ E Arabic: al-Mawsil), Kurdish: Mûsil, or Nineveh (Syriac: ܢܝܢܘܐ) is a city in northern Iraq/Central Assyria. ... 2005 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar and is the current year. ... Official languages: Kurdish and Arabic Capital: Erbil Prime Minister: Nechervan Idris Barzani Area about 80 000 km² Population  - Total (2005):  - Density: perhaps 5,750,000 40/km² Currency: Iraqi dinar Time zone: UTC+3 National anthem: Ey Reqîb The Kurdish Autonomous Region is a political entity established in 1970 following...

The city is extremely ancient: its small archaeological museum contains only pre-Islamic objects. Urban life at the site dates at least to 2300 BCE. The Aramaic name Arbile means "four gods" from the Semitic roots "arba" (four) and "allaha" (god). During Assyrian times it was known as Arbela and was an important religious centre for the cult of the goddess Ishtar. Arbil was a part of the Persian Empire for many centuries. The town's name is sometimes given to the battle of October 1 331 BCE fought between Alexander of Macedon and Darius III of Persia, which actually took place at Gaugamela, about a hundred kilometres (eighty miles) away. It ended in a catastrophic defeat of the Persian forces and the absorption of Persia into Alexander's short-lived empire. After the Iranian revival under the Parthian and later the Sassanids, Arbil remained inside the Persian borders for many centuries more. (24th century BC - 23rd century BC - 22nd century BC - other centuries) (4th millennium BC - 3rd millennium BC - 2nd millennium BC) Events 2334 - 2279 BC (short chronology) Sargon of Akkads conquest of Mesopotamia 2217 - 2193 BC - Nomadic invasions of Akkad 2205 BC - According to much later myths, foundation of the... Aramaic is a Semitic language with a four-thousand year history. ... Assyrians are a Christian Syriac-speaking minority inhabiting northern Iraq, northeastern Syria, southeastern Turkey and northwestern Iran, some of whom are also identified as Aramaeans, Syriacs and Chaldeans. ... Ishtar is the Akkadian counterpart to the Sumerian Inanna and to the cognate northwest Semitic goddess Astarte. ... The Persian Empire is the name used to refer to a number of historic dynasties that have ruled the country of Persia (Iran). ... October 1 is the 274th day of the year (275th in Leap years). ... Centuries: 5th century BC - 4th century BC - 3rd century BC Decades: 380s BC 370s BC 360s BC 350s BC 340s BC - 330s BC - 320s BC 310s BC 300s BC 290s BC 280s BC Years: 336 BC 335 BC 334 BC 333 BC 332 BC - 331 BC - 330 BC 329 BC... Bust of Alexander the Great in the British Museum. ... Darius III or Codomannus (c. ... In the Battle of Gaugamela in 331 BC Alexander the Great of Macedonia defeated Darius III of Persia. ... Persia and Persian can refer to: the Western name for Iran. ... Persia and Persian can refer to: the Western name for Iran. ... Reproduction of a Parthian warrior as depicted on Trajans Column The Parthian Empire was the dominating force on the Iranian plateau beginning in the late 3rd century BCE, and intermittently controlled Mesopotamia between ca 190 BCE and 224 CE. Origins Bust of Parthian soldier, Esgh-abad Museum, Turkmenia. ... Sassanid Empire at its greatest extent The Sassanid dynasty (also Sassanian) was the name given to the kings of Persia during the era of the second Persian Empire, from 224 until 651, when the last Sassanid shah, Yazdegerd III, lost a 14-year struggle to drive out the Umayyad Caliphate...

The modern town of Arbil stands on a tell topped by an Ottoman fort. During the medieval period, Arbil became a major trading centre on the route between Baghdad and Mosul, a role which it still plays today with important road and rail links to the outside world. See also Tell (poker). ... The Ottoman Empire at the height of its power Imperial motto El Muzaffer Daima The Ever Victorious (as written in tugra) Official language Ottoman Turkish Capital İstanbul ( Constantinople/Asitane/Konstantiniyye ) Sovereigns Sultans of the Osmanli Dynasty Population ca 40 million Area 12+ million km² Establishment 1299 Dissolution October 29, 1923... A street map of Baghdad Average temperature (red) and precipitations (blue) in Baghdad *See Bagdad, Tasmania for the Australian town of a similar name. ... MosÅ«l (36°22′ N 43°07′ E Arabic: al-Mawsil), Kurdish: Mûsil, or Nineveh (Syriac: ܢܝܢܘܐ) is a city in northern Iraq/Central Assyria. ...

The parliament of the Kurdish Autonomous Region was convened in Arbil for many years, but was effectively controlled by Saddam Hussein until the Kurdish uprising at the end of the 1991 Persian Gulf War. It effectively collapsed in the mid-1990s when fighting broke out between the two main Kurdish factions, the Kurdish Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK). The city was captured by the KDP in 1996 with the assistance of Saddam Hussein. The Kurdish Autonomous Region (Başûrê Kurdistanê in Kurdish) is a political entity established in 1970 following the agreement of an Autonomy Accord between the government of Iraq and leaders of the Iraqi Kurdish community. ... Saddam Hussein Saddām Hussein ʻAbd al-Majīd al-Tikrīt, spelled Husayn or Hussain; (Arabic صدام حسين عبد المجيد التكريتي; born April 28, 1937 ) was President of Iraq from 1979 until his removal by coalition forces during the 2003 invasion of Iraq. ... 1991 is a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... See also: 2003 invasion of Iraq and Gulf War (disambiguation) C Company, 1st Battalion, The Staffordshire Regiment, 1st UK Armoured Division The Persian Gulf War was a conflict between Iraq and a coalition force of 34 nations led by the United States. ... // Events and trends The 1990s are generally classified as having moved slightly away from the more conservative 1980s, but otherwise retaining the same mindset. ... The Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) is a Kurdish political party led by Massoud Barzani. ... The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) (est 1975) (Kurdish: Yaketi Nishtimani Kurdistan) // Mission The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan has been working for self-determination, human rights, democracy and peace for the Kurdish people of Iraq, since its establishment in 1 June 1975. ... 1996 is a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ...

Arbil was fairly quiet during the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Although the United States had originally intended to use Kurdish and Turkish territory to mount an invasion from the north, this fell through after permission was denied by the Turkish parliament. The city was the scene of rapturous celebrations on April 10, 2003 after the fall of Baghdad. Following the war, the city experienced repeated bomb attacks against coalition forces and Kurdish targets. The worst of these was an attack on a joint PUK/KDP gathering on February 4, 2004 which killed 109 people and was blamed on the militant group Ansar al-Islam. The 2003 invasion of Iraq was launched by the United States and the United Kingdom on March 20, 2003, with support from some other governments, making up what was described as the coalition of the willing. ... April 10 is the 100th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (101st in leap years). ... 2003 is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... A street map of Baghdad Average temperature (red) and precipitations (blue) in Baghdad *See Bagdad, Tasmania for the Australian town of a similar name. ... February 4 is the 35th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2004 is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Ansar al-Islam (Arabic: انصار الاسلام, Supporters or Partisans of Islam) is an Islamist group, promoting a radical interpretation of Islam and holy war. ...