Ankawa
| Ankawa Enkawa ܥܢܟܒܐ | |
|---|---|
  Ankawa | |
| Coordinates: 36°13′45″N 43°59′37″E / 36.22917°N 43.99361°ECoordinates: 36°13′45″N 43°59′37″E / 36.22917°N 43.99361°E | |
| Country |
 Iraq |
| Autonomous region |
 Iraqi Kurdistan |
| Province | Erbil Governorate |
| Municipality | Ankawa |
| Population (2011) | |
| • Total | 30,000 |
| The town received thousands of Assyrian refugees from Baghdad and Mosul | |
Ankawa or Ainkawa (Kurdish: Enkawa, (Syriac: ܥܢܟܒܐ, Arabic: عنكاوا, ‘ankāwā) is Assyrian populated City directly north of Erbil's city of Erbil.
History
Ankawa was originally called Beth Amka, which later morphed to Amku-Bad, Amkawa, and finally Ankawa. The name of the town is mentioned in different historical books, including Bar Hebraeus's book entitled "A Brief History of the Countries," where he states: "Mongolian troops attacked the area of Erbil on Sunday July 1285 and reached some villages.....including Ankawa."
Ankawa has many archaeological sites, including "The Hill," which was recorded as an archaeological site in Iraq in 1945. It is also home to St Joseph's Cathedral (Umra d'Mar Yosip), the seat of the Chaldean Catholic archbishop of Erbil.[1] The city has recently become a principal settlement for Assyrians in Iraq. One of the main reasons for the cities rise is due to the ISIS takeover of the Nineveh Plans, because a fair amount of those who fled went here. The city's rise has even attracted the eye of the Assyrian Church of the East, which after several decades of being located in the United States, has decided to put its faith in the security of Iraqi Kurdistan.[1]
References
- 1 2 Richard Spencer, Iraq crisis: The streets of Erbil’s newly Christian suburb are now full of helpless people, The Daily Telegraph, August 08, 2014