Kirkūk

The old part of Kirkūk, Iraq, seen from across the bed of the dried-up Qaḍāʾ River.

Kirkūk, city, capital of Kirkūk muḥāfaẓah (governorate), northeastern Iraq. The city is 145 miles (233 km) north of Baghdad, the national capital, with which it is linked by road and railway. Kirkūk is located near the foot of the Zagros Mountains in the Kurdistan region of Iraq. The oldest part of the town is clustered around a citadel built on an ancient tell, or mound. During the period of Assyrian prominence (9th–10th century bce) the city was called Arrapha. Local tradition holds that a tomb in the old quarter is that of the prophet Daniel; it has served as a synagogue and church and is now used as a mosque. The city’s population is of mixed Turkmen, Arab, and Kurdish stock. Kirkūk is a trade and export centre for the surrounding area’s agricultural produce and cattle; textiles are manufactured there. It is also a major centre of Iraq’s petroleum industry, with oil pipeline connections to Tripoli, Lebanon, and to Yumurtalik, on the Turkish coast. The crude oil production stimulated sustained expansion in the city. Pop. (2003 est.) 600,000.