Tal Afar Citadel | |
---|---|
Telafer Kalesi | |
Tal Afar, Iraq | |
![]() The Tal Afar Citadel in 2007 | |
Coordinates | 36°22′32″N 42°27′16.7″E / 36.37556°N 42.454639°E |
Type | Citadel |
Site information | |
Controlled by | Iraq |
Open to the public | No |
Condition | Ruins |
Site history | |
Built | 16th century |
Built by | Ottoman Empire |
Fate | Demolished by ISIL in 2015 |
Battles/wars | Battle of Tal Afar (2005) Battle of Tal Afar (2017) |
The Tal Afar Citadel (Turkish: Telafer Kalesi)[1] is a citadel located in Tal Afar, a city in Nineveh Governorate in northwest Iraq. The citadel was built by the Ottoman Empire,[2] although it contains remains dating back to the Assyrian period.[3]
Following the 2003 invasion of Iraq, the citadel housed the mayoral, municipal and police headquarters of Tal Afar. It was used as a base by American forces in the Battle of Tal Afar in 2005.[2] Tal Afar fell to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant in June 2014, and the militants used the citadel as a prison for women and girls who were to be forcibly married to ISIL members.[4]
In December 2014, ISIL blew up the city's northern and western walls, causing extensive damage.[5] The militants also excavated some of the ruins within the citadel, probably to look for antiquities which they could sell.[3] UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova strongly condemned the destruction of the citadel.[6] The citadel was recaptured by Iraqi forces during the battle to recapture Tal Afar in 2017.[7]
© MMXXIII Rich X Search. We shall prevail. All rights reserved. Rich X Search