--- title: "Erbil – what is there, and how you get there | Mixroutes" description: "Erbil, Iraq: Erbil, also called Hawler, is the capital and most populated city in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq and the capital of the Erbil Governorate.…" url: "https://www.mixroutes.com/notes/arbil" markdown: "https://www.mixroutes.com/notes/arbil.md" image: "https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a8/Shar_Park%2C_Hawler%2C_Erbil_Governorate%2C_Iraq.jpg/3840px-Shar_Park%2C_Hawler%2C_Erbil_Governorate%2C_Iraq.jpg" --- Capital and largest city of Kurdistan Region, Iraq · Erbil # Erbil Erbil, also called Hawler, is the capital and most populated city in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq and the capital of the Erbil Governorate. ![Erbil](https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a8/Shar_Park%2C_Hawler%2C_Erbil_Governorate%2C_Iraq.jpg/3840px-Shar_Park%2C_Hawler%2C_Erbil_Governorate%2C_Iraq.jpg) Erbil · Wikimedia Commons (see file page) The place Erbil, also called Hawler, is the capital and most populated city in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq and the capital of the Erbil Governorate. Erbil is described as the region's cultural, economic, industrial, educational and medical hub. Adapted from [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erbil), CC BY-SA 4.0. What is there ## Worth seeing in and around Erbil 10 places within 25 km that the world writes about, in the order of how widely: the ones a visitor has heard of first, then the ones only a local would name. 1. Franso Hariri Stadium Franso Hariri Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Erbil, Kurdistan Region, Iraq. It is currently used mostly for football matches by Erbil SC who plays in the Iraqi Premier League. 2.1 km · stadium in Erbil - Iraq · [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franso_Hariri_Stadium) 2. St. Joseph's Cathedral, Ankawa The Cathedral of Saint Joseph, Ankawa, also known as Cathedral of Mar Yousif, is the Chaldean Catholic cathedral and seat of the Chaldean Catholic Archdiocese of Erbil in Iraqi Kurdistan created under the pontificate of Pope Paul VI. The cathedral, named for Saint Joseph, follows the East Syriac Rite of the Chaldean Catholic Church, one of the Eastern Catholic sui iuris particular churches that make up the Catholic Church in full communion with the Holy See in Rome. 4.3 km · Chaldean Catholic cathedral in Erbil, Iraqi Kurdistan · [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cathedral_of_Saint_Joseph,_Ankawa) 3. Jalil Khayat Mosque The Jalil Khayat Mosque is a Sunni mosque in Erbil, in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. It is the largest mosque in Erbil. 1.4 km · modern mosque in Erbil · [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jalil_Khayat_Mosque) 4. Kurdish Textile and Cultural Museum The Kurdish Textile and Cultural Museum is a museum devoted to textiles and other cultural works produced in Kurdistan, especially in Iraqi Kurdistan. It was established in 2004 and is located in a renovated mansion in the southeast quarter of the Citadel of Erbil in Iraq. 100 m · museum in Iraqi Kurdistan Region about Kurdish heritage · [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kurdish_Textile_and_Cultural_Museum) 5. Erbil Civilization Museum The Erbil Civilization Museum is an archeological museum which is located within the city of Hawler, the capital of Iraqi Kurdistan. It is the second largest museum in Iraqi Kurdistan, after the Sulaymaniyah Museum in Sulaymaniyah Governorate in terms of contents and collections. 1.6 km · archaeological museum in Kurdistan Region, Iraq · [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erbil_Civilization_Museum) 6. Sami Abdulrahman Park Sami Abdul Rahman Park is a park in Erbil, Kurdistan Region in Iraq. 2.2 km · Sami Park · [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sami_Abdul_Rahman_Park) 7. Tishk International University Tishk International University is a private university established in 2008 in Erbil-Kurdistan, Iraq and owned by local and International investors and educators. Tishk International University is granted ISO 9001:2015 Certificate for the Quality Management System and is a member in the Union of Arabic Universities. 5.2 km · Private University in Kurdistan - Iraq · [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tishk_International_University) 8. E1 Tower The Erbil 1 Tower, also known as Zaniary Tower, is a 48-story, 180 m tall multi-use skyscraper in the heart of Erbil, capital of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. It is located In Zaniary next to the Road That splits it from Mahabad. 1.8 km · skyscraper in Iraq · [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E1_Tower) 9. Khalidiya Khanqah Mosque and Tekke The Khalidiya Khanqah Mosque and Tekke, also known as the Mzgawti Xanaqa, is a religious complex comprising a Sufi mosque, tekke, library, and marketplace, located near the UNESCO World Heritage citadel in the city of Erbil, in the Erbil Governorate of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. Completed in 1805 CE, the site was renovated in 1961. 300 m · sufi lodge and mosque located in Iraqi Kurdistan · [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khalidiya_Khanqah_Mosque_and_Tekke) 10. Lebanese French University The Lebanese French University is a private university. It was licensed in September 2007 by the Kurdistan Regional Government - Erbil. 5.4 km · Private University in Kurdistan - Iraq · [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lebanese_French_University) Ranked by the number of language editions of Wikipedia with an article on each, from Wikidata; the sentences are the openings of those articles, CC BY-SA 4.0. See ## What Wikivoyage says to see 1. Citadel of Erbil 2. Grand Mosque Erbil's historic central mosque, still open despite renovations on the Citadel. 3. Kurdish Textile Museum 4. Erbil Gem Museum 52R5+3H. 5. Mudhafaria Minaret 6. Qaysari Market From [Wikivoyage: Erbil](https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Erbil), CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us. Do ## Things to do Stroll around in the deserted city inside the citadel in the centre of Erbil. Hundreds of houses that appears to have been abandoned in a hurry. Walk into the court yards, sleeping rooms and bed rooms or up to the rooftop terraces to enjoy a spectacular panorama of Erbil or ponder what life might have been in this place before the inhabitants were repopulated. 1. Erbil Marathon Sami Abdulrahman Park, info@erbilmarathon.krd. From [Wikivoyage: Erbil](https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Erbil), CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us. Eat ## Where to eat Many good restaurants exist in Erbil. However, the vast majority serve kebabs and chicken, with some Lebanese and Turkish restaurants. Options for foreign food are limited. Most restaurants, except those in high-end hotels, do not serve alcohol or accept credit cards. Iskan Street. Popular street lined with cheap Kurdish and Turkish kebab shops, as well as one of the center of (male) social gathering. 1. Kebab Yasin 2. Dawa 2 From [Wikivoyage: Erbil](https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Erbil), CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us. Go there ## Getting to Erbil **Airports:** Erbil (EBL), 8 km · Kirkuk (KIK), 86 km · Tabriz (TBZ), 292 km\ **Stations:** Erbil International Airport, 6.6 km\ - Kirkuk → Erbil 87 km · quickest by road, 1h 26m · $8–10 [Guide](https://www.mixroutes.com/routes/kirkuk-to-erbil) [Today](https://www.mixroutes.com/results?from=Kirkuk&to=Erbil) - Baghdad → Erbil 319 km · quickest by road, 4h 36m · $28–39 [Guide](https://www.mixroutes.com/routes/baghdad-to-erbil) [Today](https://www.mixroutes.com/results?from=Baghdad&to=Erbil) - Najaf → Erbil 464 km · quickest by road, 6h 50m · $42–60 [Guide](https://www.mixroutes.com/routes/najaf-to-erbil) [Today](https://www.mixroutes.com/results?from=Najaf&to=Erbil) - From anywhere The planner compares every way there from wherever you are. [Plan a trip](https://www.mixroutes.com/?to=Erbil) Road and air are today’s quick answer; timetabled trains, buses and ferries load on the results page from the operators’ feeds. Not yet researched ## No local-transport research exists yet for Erbil Our researched notes are written from a sourced entry: every shared taxi, boat and village bus with its operator, its rule, its fare and the year we saw it, and what could not be confirmed. Nobody has done that work for Erbil. What is above is what we hold from open sources; nothing here pretends to be more. What Wikivoyage says about moving around - Get around Compared with other cities in the Middle East, shared taxis and buses are very infrequent and impractical. From [Wikivoyage: Erbil](https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Erbil), CC BY-SA. Not yet checked by us; that article was last edited 2026-09. The nearest places where the work is done 1. [Yeghegnadzor and the Vayots Dzor valley](https://www.mixroutes.com/notes/yeghegnadzor) AM 9 ways of moving, 32 sources 414 km 2. [Gyumri](https://www.mixroutes.com/notes/gyumri) AM 12 ways of moving, 47 sources 511 km 3. [Vardzia and the Javakheti plateau](https://www.mixroutes.com/notes/vardzia) GE 12 ways of moving, 57 sources 581 km 4. [Sheki (Şəki)](https://www.mixroutes.com/notes/sheki) AZ 10 ways of moving, 46 sources 621 km 5. [Gori](https://www.mixroutes.com/notes/gori) GE 10 ways of moving, 16 sources 644 km If you know how people move in Erbil – the stand, the rule, the fare – [tell us](https://www.mixroutes.com/report?key=blog%7Carbil&title=Erbil&sub=Field+notes&back=%2Fnotes%2Farbil), and the note gets an entry. Around it ## Next door to Erbil - [Ankawa](https://www.mixroutes.com/notes/ankawa) suburb of Erbil, Kurdistan 4.4 km - [Erbil District](https://www.mixroutes.com/notes/erbil-district) district in Iraq 6.6 km [The place page for Erbil](https://www.mixroutes.com/places/arbil) [All the notes](https://www.mixroutes.com/notes) [Every note on Iraq](https://www.mixroutes.com/notes#c-IQ) --- This is the markdown version of https://www.mixroutes.com/notes/arbil, for search crawlers and AI assistants. The HTML page is the canonical copy. Mixroutes is made by Lascade LLC, Sharjah Media City, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. Index of every page: https://www.mixroutes.com/llms.txt