The citadel, the heart of the city, is the old walled Erbil. Today it still stands mightily high above the modern city. The surrounding city has grown according to long-established urbanisation practices in a circular fashion with the citadel at its centre. Erbil is one of the longest continuously inhabited cities in the world but today the citadel stands empty for the first time in its 4000 - 6000 year (depending on who you ask) history waiting UNESCO appropriation.