Erbil is a fortified (walled) city located southeast of Mosul, approximately 84 kilometers away, and it contains a massive citadel. It is said that this is the location where Alexander the Great of Macedonia achieved his victory over Darius III, the King of Kings of the Achaemenid Persian Empire.
During the time of the Assyrian Empire, the city was known as a religious center, where four deities were worshipped. For this reason, it was called “Arbail” or “Arba-ilu,” a name that means “the city belonging to four gods” in ancient Assyrian.
In the 14th century AD, there is mention of an Armenian church in Erbil, which was located outside the city walls. However, in the early part of that century, specifically in the year 1336, it was destroyed by non-Armenian groups, in accordance with a decree (or ruling) issued that year. This destruction coincided with the demolition of two other churches—one Nestorian and the other belonging to the Jacobites (Assyrians affiliated with the Syriac Orthodox Church).
