Photogrammetric Documentation of Citadel Al-Qala in

In Iraq, there are a lot of very valuable historical monuments. A great deal of monuments is in a very poor condition. An urgent need for preservation of the most important architectural monuments arose in conjunction with the post-war reconstruction of Iraqi culture. Architectural monuments were often damaged by the war and today even simple preservation is nearly impossible. In 2006, two Czech expeditions were dispatched to Erbil with the aim of basic monument documentation, archaeological investigation and finding appropriate technology for the restoration of these structures. The first step was the photogrammetric and geodetic measurement of the Al-Qala Citadel and the Choli minaret in Erbil. The Citadel in Erbil is on UNESCO's list of the world’s most endangered historic sites. It forms a vast complex of buildings and narrow streets enclosed by town walls. The Citadel in Erbil is one of the oldest continuously inhabited urban settlements in the world. According to ICOMOS data, eight thousand years of inhabitation are proved in this unique urban concentration, making it the longest inhabited place on the Earth. This has been made possible by rich water sources, still available today, which have never dried out in recorde