Erbil Citadel Stones and Gems Museum Draws Visitors from Across Iraq

Shafaq News/ A museum in the Erbil Citadel in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq is attracting visitors from across the country.

The Erbil Stones and Gems Museum opened in 2014 and houses a collection of gemstones worldwide.

Director Serbest Majid told Shafaq News agency that the museum receives many visitors daily.

"They look at the wild and marine gems inside the museum's rooms," he said.

Tourist Shaima Sattar, who came from Baghdad, said the museum is "wonderful and attractive." She added that she believes it is the first museum in Iraq where visitors can see such a wide variety of precious stones.

The museum is in the Erbil Citadel, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Citadel is one of the oldest continuously inhabited settlements in the world, and it has been a center of trade and culture for centuries.

The museum contains common and rare stones and gems worldwide, including diamonds, rubies, emeralds, sapphires, amethysts, Meteorite fragments and fossils, a collection of traditional Kurdish jewelry, and other items.