Amadiya

Amadiya (Kurdish: Amêdî, ئامێدی‎, Arabic: العمادية‎ Al-Emadiyah), is a town and popular summer resort and Hill station along a tributary to the Great Zab in the Dahuk Governorate of Iraqi Kurdistan. The city is situated 4,600 feet (1,400 m) above sea level.

History

The history of this city goes back at least to ancient Assyria, and was an Assyrian city known as Amedi from the 25th century BC until the end of the 7th century BC. Subsequent to this it was a part of Achaemenid Assyria, Seleucid Assyria, Assyria (Roman province) and Parthian and Sassanid ruled Assyria (Athura/Assuristan) until its dissolution in the mid 7th century AD. It has always been a strategic place as it is built on the flat top of a mountain. For several centuries, after the expulsion of the caliphs from Baghdad, it was ruled by a pasha, a prince who was from the royal Abbas family, reputed to be one of the richest rulers in the region.

The region in which the city rests is also believed to have been the home of the Magi or priests of Persian-ruled Assyria. Amadiya is believed to be the home of some of the most significant Magi priests, the Biblical Magi or the "Three Wise Men", who made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem to see Jesus Christ shortly after his birth.