Ankawa

Ankawa (; , ) is a suburb of Erbil in Kurdistan Region, Iraq. It is located northwest of downtown Erbil. The suburb is predominantly populated by Christian Assyrians, most of whom adhere to the Chaldean Catholic Church.

==History== thumb|200px|The patriarchate of the Assyrian Church of the East thumb|200px|Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist in Ankawa: The former Patriarchal see of the Assyrian Church of the East thumb|200px|Chaldean Catholic Cathedral of Saint Joseph, Ankawa|Church of Saint Joseph in Ankawa thumb|200px|St. George's Church, Ankawa thumb|200px|The Syriac Catholic Church of Mart Shmony in Ankawa thumb|200px|Tell Qasra Archaeological Ankawa was originally called Beth Amka, which later morphed to Amku-Bad, Ankava, and finally Ankawa. The name of the town is mentioned in Bar Hebraeus's book entitled "A Brief History of the Countries," where he states: "Mongol troops attacked the area of Erbil on Sunday July 1285 and reached some villages... including Ankawa." The shrine of Mary, also known as Mariamana, was built after the ancient Roman designs. Tell Qasra, or Qasra Knoll, is an ancient archaeological site, a 6-meter high mound that was used as a palace in the center of Ankawa. The hill dates back to the Neo-Assyrian period. The city was formerly known as Arbela, which was the capital city of Adiabene and the seat of Inanna.