Kirkuk aims to include its castle in UNESCO list

Directorate of Kirkuk relics confirmed continuation to rehabilitate the historic
castle to be a centre of global tourism, preparing it to be included in UNESCO
list, as well as opening a folklore museum similar to Albaghdadi museum few
days after Eid holidays.

The director of Kirkuk relics, Ayad Tariq, said that UNESCO should open the
granting countries and world organizations about maintenance of the historic
houses that are present inside Kirkuk castle, their number reached 50 house,
mosques, church and all of them are built on a mound and considered as one of
the oldest ancient monuments in the city.
Tariq added (we must take advantage of the ancient castle in tourism, and
rehabilitate it to include it in human global heritage list), he followed (During
this year and the next year, we have a plan to rehabilitate part of the ancient
houses by providing electricity and installing doors so that we make them ready
for tourist investment, by the district development budget).
Tariq said that after rehabilitation of the castle and opening it for tourist
investment, UNESCO will add it to the global heritage list temporarily than
permanently, exactly like Erbil castle, mentioning that the castle on its current
situation records the entrance of many tourists.
In a similar context, Tariq said that his directorate established a folklore
museum similar to Albaghdadi museum, and that its opening will be few days
after the EID holidays. He followed that this museum will include the carpenter,
sewer, blacksmith and its location will be inside the ancient Alqashla, it was
built by a local company, clarifying that the museum occupied place of three
halls in Alqashla (Kirkuk’s Qashla is an ancient building used as a headquarter
of the directorate of relics and for some time it was a military headquarter of
Othmanian forces in Kirkuk’s city).