Also known as Hawler, Erbil was a regional power as far back as the third century BCE, amd today is is a city of around 879,000 and well worth a stop of several days (it´s a seven-hour drive from Baghdad). Highlights include the UNESCO World Heritage Citadel; 13th-century Qaysari Bazaar: the 220-year-old Khalidiya Khanqak Mosque and Tekke; the elaborate, 18-year-old Jalil Khayat Mosque; the Erbil Civilisation Museum; 

Osama Shukir Muhammed Amin FRCP(Glasg)