World Monuments Fund (WMF) and the High Commission for Erbil Citadel Revitalization (HCECR) have unveiled the newly restored Erbil Citadel Children’s Interpretation Center in Erbil, Iraq.
One of the world's most extended and continuously inhabited sites, Erbil Citadel has been a central part of the Middle East since ancient Mesopotamia. Natural factors and civil unrest in recent history have taken a toll on the ancient buildings, resulting in the structures’ disrepair and the Citadel’s inclusion on the World Monuments Watch in 2000, 2002, and 2004.
WMF led two projects as part of a masterplan by HCECR to repopulate the Citadel and establish the site as a community centre. This plan included the restoration of the Heritage Building Complex and the development of the Children’s Interpretation Center. The latter will serve as an educational hub for children and tourists to learn about Erbil’s heritage and history.
Donald Insall Associates worked with the World Monument Fund to provide design consultancy services for the exhibition and fit-out of the Children's Interpretation Centre. This included the main representative rooms and the exhibition within them including educational tools, together with the development of the lighting and furniture of the staff areas. These were created in collaboration with Lebanon-based studio Bits to Atoms, who fabricated all the pieces out of timber.
WMF's work at the Erbil Citadel has been made possible, in part, by the U.S. Embassy Baghdad and the U.S. Consulate General Erbil.