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Ankawa is located in Iraq
Coordinates: 36°13′45″N 43°59′37″E﻿ / ﻿36.22917°N 43.99361°E﻿ / 36.22917; 43.99361Coordinates: 36°13′45″N 43°59′37″E﻿ / ﻿36.22917°N 43.99361°E﻿ / 36.22917; 43.99361
Country  Iraq
Autonomous region  Iraqi Kurdistan
Province Erbil Governorate
Municipality Ankawa
Population (2011)
 • Total 30,000
  The town received thousands of Assyrian refugees from Baghdad and Mosul

Ankawa or Ainkawa (Kurdish: Enkawa‎, (Syriac: ܥܢܟܒܐ‎, Arabic: عنكاوا‎, ‘ankāwā) is Assyrian populated City directly north of Erbil's city of Erbil.


Ankawa was originally called Beth Amka, which later morphed to Amku-Bad, Amkawa, and finally Ankawa. The name of the town is mentioned in different historical books, including Bar Hebraeus's book entitled "A Brief History of the Countries," where he states: "Mongolian troops attacked the area of Erbil on Sunday July 1285 and reached some villages.....including Ankawa."

Ankawa has many archaeological sites, including "The Hill," which was recorded as an archaeological site in Iraq in 1945. It is also home to St Joseph's Cathedral (Umra d'Mar Yosip), the seat of the Chaldean Catholic archbishop of Erbil.[1] The city has recently become a principal settlement for Assyrians in Iraq. One of the main reasons for the cities rise is due to the ISIS takeover of the Nineveh Plans, because a fair amount of those who fled went here. The city's rise has even attracted the eye of the Assyrian Church of the East, which after several decades of being located in the United States, has decided to put its faith in the security of Iraqi Kurdistan.[1]


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