Kerkuk (pop. 1.5 million): Located at the geographical center of Turkmeneli, on the river Khasa Su. It is the cultural center of the Iraqi Turkmens. It was the capital of the Iwak Atabegs in the 11.th century. The rich oilfields around Kerkuk, had made it the most important city in Iraq. The eternal fire of Baba Gurgur , which is located in the middle of those fields, has been active for thousands of years. The distinctive castle of Kerkuk was built 3000 years ago. Prophet Daniel is buried here. Populated entirely by Turkmens and especially the Christian Turkmens, whose numbers dwindled to few hundred in recent years, It had all the aspects of ancient Turkish architecture. There are a lot of historical Turkish buildings and monuments in the city. In 1997 Saddam ordered the demolition of the ancient castle which was a unique historical monument and a symbol of Kerkuk. South of Kerkuk is the city of Dakuk or Tawuk on the river of Tawuq Su, which was the first Turkish city built in this area around 850 AD .