Ankawa

Ankawa is a predominantly Assyrian suburb of Erbil in Iraqi Kurdistan, outside the city limits. It is seen as the Assyrian Quarter of Erbil. It is located five miles north-north-west of downtown Erbil, just outside the ring road that is Erbil's city limits. Ankawa is also considered to be one of the oldest inhabited cities in the world. Ankawa was originally called Beth Amka, which later morphed to Amku-Bad, Ankawa, and finally Ankawa. The name of the town is mentioned in 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." The shrine of Mary also known as "Mariamana was built after the ancient Roman designs. 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. Ankawa used to be a small village that is located Northwest of Erbil, But nowadays it's more like a city. The city has recently become a principal settlement for Christians in Iraq. One of the main reasons for the town's rise is due to the ISIS takeover of the Nineveh Plans, because a fair amount of those who fled came to Ankawa. The Assyrian Church of the East, which after several decades of being located in the United States, has decided to move their Patriarchal see to Ankawa.