Amna Suraka

Amna Suraka is a former security headquarters and prison in Sulaymaniyah Governorate that has been converted into a museum documenting political repression and atrocities committed against Kurdish communities during the 20th century.

The site contains preserved cells, documentary exhibitions, photographs and memorial displays that record torture, detentions and the victims associated with the building’s use by security services. The complex and its displays are presented as both a historical record and a memorial.

The building was used by Iraq’s internal security services as a detention and interrogation centre during the Ba’athist period and other periods of internal conflict; after changes in local control it was transformed into a museum and memorial to those held and killed there.

Amna Suraka sits in the city of Sulaymaniyah in northeastern Iraq and is accessible from the city centre; it is a prominent civic and historic site in Sulaymaniyah.

• Content warning: Exhibits are graphic and focus on detention, torture and the experience of Kurdish prisoners under successive regimes; visitors should expect explicit photographic displays and preserved cells.

What to See #

• Red Building (main structure): The former security headquarters and prison building, commonly called the Red Building, now houses exhibits and preserved cells documenting political repression and conflict involving Kurdish populations.