Erbil (Arbīl, Irbil, أربيل) is the second largest city in northern Iraq. It is the headquarters of the Kurdish Autonomous Region (KAR) and often referred to as Hewlêr, or Hawler. Erbil is an ancient town and and may have been settled as long ago as the 5th millenium BC.

After the Muslim conquest of Persia, the city came under control of the Ottoman Empire.

Erbil is dominated by the ancient Citadel of Erbil. It was inscribed in the UNESCO world heritage list in 2014.

The Mudhafaria Minaret is another famous landmark. Several old-style Kurdish houses in the town have been converted into museums, with interesting collections of objects from Sumerian through to Abbasid times.

There are some hotels and restaurants in town. Erbil is 320 km north of Baghdad and about 80 km west from Mosul.