Sulaymaniyah

Sulaymaniyah, also known as Slemani, is a major city in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq and one of the region's most important cultural and educational centres. Set against the Goizha and Azmar mountains, the city has a relaxed café culture, a lively university population and a strong literary and artistic identity.

Founded in 1784 by the Kurdish prince Ibrahim Pasha Baban and named after his father Sulaiman Pasha, Sulaymaniyah developed from a small market town into a dynamic regional hub. Its history is still visible in the old bazaar, traditional stone buildings and museums that document both Kurdish heritage and the darker periods of the 20th century.

Key landmarks include the Slemani Museum, which holds one of Iraq's most significant archaeological collections, and Amna Suraka, a former Ba'athist prison that now serves as a museum of remembrance. Azadi Park, the Goizha mountain viewpoints and Salim Street's shops and cafés are popular gathering places for residents and visitors.

The city is home to the American University of Iraq, Sulaimani and several other institutions, making it a centre for education, research and business activity in the region. Conferences, cultural festivals, concerts and Newroz celebrations fill the calendar, while restaurants and teahouses stay busy into the evening.

For leisure travellers, Sulaymaniyah offers mountain scenery, museums and a distinctive Kurdish welcome; for business visitors, it provides growing conference facilities, hotels and connections across the Kurdistan Region.