| Sulaymaniyah Sulaymaniyah | ||
 | ||
| State | Iraq | |
|---|---|---|
| Region | Iraqi Kurdistan | |
| Territory | Governorate of Sulaymaniyah | |
| Time zone | UTC 3 | |
Position
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| Tourism site | ||
| Institutional website | ||
Sulaymaniyah, (سلێمانی) also called Sulaimanyah, Sulaimaniya, Sulaimani, Slemani, Suli, is a city of Iraqi Kurdistan.
To know
Sulaymaniyah is one of the major cities of Iraqi Kurdistan, capital of the Governorate of Sulaymaniyah, located 385 km north of Baghdad and 198 km southeast of Arbil. Surrounded by the Azmer, Goyija, Qaiwan mountain ranges to the north east, the Baranan mountains to the south and the Tasluja hills to the west, it has a semi-arid climate with cold, wet winters and very hot, dry summers.
Founded on November 14, 1784 by the Kurdish prince Ibrahim Pasha Baban, dedicating it to his father Sulaiman Pasha, it was the capital of the Kurdish principality Baban until 1850.
It has always been the cultural center of the country and has given home to many Kurdish minds, it is today the cultural and intellectual center of Kurdistan with important universities such as the University of Sulaymaniyah opened in 1968. Since 1992 it has also been named cultural center for Sorani-speaking Kurds It also became very prosperous after the fall of the previous Iraqi regime, growing to accommodate 1.5 million inhabitants with an economy based mainly on agriculture and tourism.
How to orient yourself
Sulaymaniyah: full screen map.How to get
By plane
The "Sulaimaniya Airport" International Airport [1] it is located west of the city near Bakrajo. Opened in 2006, most of the flights are performed by Iraqi Airways (IA), which also has direct flights to Manchester, but other companies also serve this destination from Dusseldorf (Germany), Dubai (UAE), Amman (Jordan) and Istanbul (Turkey).Turkish Airlines (TK) and Pegasus (1I) connects Sulaimaniya with Turkey.Fly Germany (ST) connects with Dusseldorf and Monaco, Qatar, Royal Jordanian and Aseman, for the other destinations served.
How to get around
What see
There is a nice view of Sulaymaniyah from the outside, from the surrounding mountains (Goizha, Azmar, Piramagrwn and Baranan). The city is experiencing a period of transformation, becoming more and more a tourist city.
- 1 Slemani Museum (مۆزهخانهی سلێمانی). The largest archaeological museum in Kurdistan and second in all of Iraq after the National Museum of Baghdad, which houses many ancient Kurdish and Persian artifacts dated around 1792-1750 BC, a prehistoric period prior to Islam and the Ottoman Empire. Arranged on one floor, it covers an area of approximately 6,000 m². Since 2011 the museum has collaborated with theUNESCO for the renovation, development and enlargement of the building.
- 2 Amna Suraka Museum, ☎ 964 53 320 5373.
Mon-Sun 09: 00-18: 00. National War Crimes Museum. The name in Kurdish means "Museum of Red Intelligence" and the building was a prison and headquarters of the Ba'ath party. The museum was set up to commemorate Saddam Hussein's attempted genocide of the Kurds through the "Anfal" campaign which took place between 1986 and 1989 in which between 50,000 and 182,000 Kurds lost their lives.
Mon-Sun 09: 00-18: 00. National War Crimes Museum. The name in Kurdish means "Museum of Red Intelligence" and the building was a prison and headquarters of the Ba'ath party. The museum was set up to commemorate Saddam Hussein's attempted genocide of the Kurds through the "Anfal" campaign which took place between 1986 and 1989 in which between 50,000 and 182,000 Kurds lost their lives.- Maintained as it was when it was captured by the Peshmerga, it has an intact structure but full of bullet holes. The red-lit basement contains many photos of the Halabja chemical attack. The central building opens with the Hall of Mirrors. Once the refectory and offices of the high ranks of the Ba'ath party, it contains a wall covered with 4,500 light bulbs representing the villages destroyed during the campaign and 182,000 pieces of glass representing the victims of the genocide. The following rooms are corridors and cells where prisoners were tortured, raped and killed. Some cells were left empty with only Kurdish inscriptions on the walls, made by the prisoners. The reproductions of the prisoners handcuffed to the walls, beaten and hung with electric wires, were made by the local artist Kamaran Omar. One cell contains a statue of Atta Ahmed Qadir, a Kurdish teacher famous for his courage who lived in that cell until he was moved to Abu Ghraib prison where he was killed in 1990.
- 3 Zamwa Gallery, Kawa Street. Open all year, it exhibits the works of local artists. Run by "Rostam Aghala" a very famous Kurdish artist.
- 4 Aram Gallery, ☎ 964 750 178 8481. Another place for arts activities in the city. Here was established the "cinema night" where Kurdish and foreign films can be seen.
Events and parties
What to do
Shopping
- 1 Zara supermarket (On the east side of Salm Street, where the bazaar gate is and you walk 300 meters north uphill. Otherwise you go to the south east side of the Azadi park. Either way, just look for a large silver dome on the roof of a building), ☎ 964 750 150 3792. A self-proclaimed supplier of Western products, it doesn't have much even though there are products not found in other stores.
- 2 [link not working]Majidi Mall, Kirkuk Sulaimani Road, (At the intersection with Bakrajo Road), ☎ 964 751 253 0326. Mon-Sun 10: 00-23: 30.
How to have fun
Cafeterias
- Pasha's coffee (In the bazaar area, walk along the gate in front of the Palace Hotel and continue straight ahead to the first circle of book sellers; once passed, take the right and look for Pasha's on the left.). One of the few places in town where they serve real coffee. The sign is in Latin script and there is usually a crowd of coffee drinkers out front. You can order an espresso or buy it in bulk (28,000 IQD per kilo of Colombian beans) or buy coffee pots in styles not found elsewhere.
- 1 Latona café bistro, Sarchinar Road, ☎ 964 53 322 2055. Mon-Sun 12: 00-01: 00. Quiet place during the day and very busy in the evening. You can drink alcohol, order Western dishes and listen to live music.
Where to eat
Average prices
- 1 [link not working]Chalak's place, ☎ 964 0770 151 2976. Italian and international restaurant serving pasta, pizza and other Mediterranean and Middle Eastern recipes. The lamb masala is very good. Good cocktails too. Live music.
- 2 Hebze Zeitnui (Ades بزة زيتونة), Handarin 109 street (In front of the Cultural Hall. The entrance is on the main Midya Street, near the Khasrawkhal Bridge), ☎ 964 771 066 0088. Although it sells itself as a Lebanese restaurant it is actually a sandwich shop that prepares pizza and salads and some Mezze just to justify the origin of the cuisine. The name means "Olives on bread". It's okay if you're desperate and everything else is closed but the locals love to come here. The decor is rather tacky, a mix of American sandwich shop and something Middle Eastern. Friendly staff.
- 3 [link not working]Eiffel (مطعم إفل), Sarchinar Main Street, ☎ 964 770 350 4488. Mon-Sun 16: 00-01: 00. On hot summer nights, eating in a garden is what you need. Very good Kurdish food and ultra nice waiters who know how to win over customers. They serve alcohol and try the "Latino": beer with lemonade, tequila and salt on the rim of the mug. You can also try the shisha of various flavors that are kept on as long as you want. Live music or piano-bar, usually loud enough to end conversations. However, it is interesting to listen to the Kurdish hits that customers appreciate by participating from the tables or approaching the musicians to dance. On working days the clientele is predominantly male but during the weekend there are also families, couples and groups of friends going out.
- To park, leave the key to the attendant who will take care of it and then bring you the keys.
- 4 Wasta Dara, Piramagrun street. Kurdish restaurant very popular with locals. Pompous ambiance and kind staff. As soon as you sit down they will immediately bring the free appetizers, consisting of a soup and a salad. Here they specialize in grilling, kebab recommended, and Osì, a dish of rice and meat with various side dishes and sauces. Also try the Mastao, a yogurt drink that here in Sulymanya has its own aroma: here it tastes like must.
High prices
- 5 Health, Sarchinar Main Street P.O. Box No.˚ 444 (Inside the Copthorne Baranan hotel), ☎ 964 770 600 0000, @[email protected]. If you have the melancholy of Italian food, you can try sitting at one of its tables asking for good wine. Good food and very nice staff, although most of the waiters speak very little English. Good atmosphere, clean and classy decor. The meal will be accompanied by the Sanremo hits of the eighties.
- 6 LaleZar, Sarchinar Hill, Sulaymaniyah 46001, Iraq, ☎ 964 53 319 2601, @[email protected]. Even if you do not stay here, you can go up to the top floor and the terrace above and enjoy, on hot days, the evening wind that descends from the surrounding mountains and eat in a comfortable environment with friendly waiters. Good food, mostly Kurdish recipes at reasonable prices. They also serve alcohol. Some evenings there is also live music.
- 7 Rihana, Road 101-85. Newly opened restaurant, very large and tacky. Very popular with Kurdish dishes, mainly grill and shisha.
Where stay
High prices
- 1 Copthorne Baranan, Sarchinar Main Street, 444 Sulaymaniyah, ☎ 964 770 600 0000.
80USD double. Large hotel with large rooms and quiet rooms, large and with good finishes. They are not too hot in summer and you can sleep without air conditioning if you love silence and don't want to risk catching a cold. A good security check at the entrance, friendly and proactive staff. On the ground floor there is a bar and an Italian restaurant. A gym on the third floor will soon be available. Good breakfast with a wide choice of sweet, salty and fruit. Breakfast is served in a room hidden behind the bar. For coffee it is advisable to serve from the jug with the one already ready and do not make the mistake of asking for an espresso, which is the worst in the universe and all the surrounding planets. - 2 Sulaimani Palace Hotel, Salem Street, ☎ 964 53320 4141, 964 53320 4145. At the moment it appears to be the best hotel in town, although it does not meet international standards.
- 3 highcrest, Bakrajo Road (west of the Majidi Mall), ☎ 964 770 818 1336, 964 770 818 1337.
80USD double. Large hotel with large rooms and quiet rooms, large and with good finishes. They are not too hot in summer and you can sleep without air conditioning if you love silence and don't want to risk catching a cold. A good security check at the entrance, friendly and proactive staff. On the ground floor there is a bar and an Italian restaurant. A gym on the third floor will soon be available. Good breakfast with a wide choice of sweet, salty and fruit. Breakfast is served in a room hidden behind the bar. For coffee it is advisable to serve from the jug with the one already ready and do not make the mistake of asking for an espresso, which is the worst in the universe and all the surrounding planets.Safety
How to keep in touch
Around
- Qyzqapan (Tomb of Ciassare). Qyzqapan is a tomb located in the mountains of Syromedia and is believed to be the resting place of Ciassare the Great (Cyaxares or Hvakhshathra). Construction began after his death in 585 BC. and contains Zoroastrian symbols, as the Medes followed an ancient pre-Zoroastrian religion, Mazaism or Mithras with the religious leaders called "Magi".
- Ruins of Yassin tepe. Yassin tepe was the capital of ancient Sharazor.
Other projects
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