On Erbil Citadel...
Dinner Hosted for French Archaeologists

On Thursday evening, October 16, 2025, with the presence of Omed Khoshnaw, Governor of Erbil; Yann Brehm, Consul General of France in Erbil; and Kayfi Mustafa, Director General of Antiquities and Heritage, a dinner was hosted on Erbil Citadel by the French Institute of the Near East as a tribute to the work and efforts of a team of French archaeologists.

At the ceremony, the Governor of Erbil thanked the French archaeological team for their cooperation and coordination with the Directorate of Antiquities and Heritage in Erbil, and their active participation in the projects of surveying, excavating, and inspecting archaeological sites within Erbil Governorate. He described the cooperation with French archaeologists and international institutions as important.

In another part of his speech, while reiterating continuous support for their cultural and scientific projects aimed at preserving and displaying the historical and archaeological treasures of the Kurdistan Region, he highlighted the renovation of Erbil Citadel, which is one of the historical and cultural landmarks of the Kurdistan Region and, as one of the oldest global archaeological sites, is a strong symbol of the historical and civilizational identity of the capital Erbil.
 

It is worth noting that in continuous attention to the field of antiquities, the Kurdistan Regional Government has sought to sign several archaeological preservation agreements through advanced European universities to work scientifically in the fields of excavation, renovation, and surveying of archaeological sites. One of these was the importance given by France to the archaeological field of the Kurdistan Region, and for this purpose, in past years, several archaeological institutions and archaeologists from that country have visited the Kurdistan Region.