Urban life at Erbil (also written Arbil, or Irbil), located 80 kilometres (50 miles) east of Mosul, can be dated back to at least 6000 BCE; it is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world.

At the heart of the city is the ancient Citadel of Arbil.

The Hurrians are the first to establish Urbilum and expand their rule to the rest of northern Mesopotamia.

The city has since been under the rule of many regional powers, including the Assyrians, the Babylonians, the Persians, the Arabs, and the Ottomans.