Middle East - Anthony Ham [196]
The PUK, one of two major political parties in Iraqi Kurdistan, was founded in Sulaymaniyah in 1975. During and after the Iran-Iraq War, Saddam Hussein brutalised Sulaymaniyah’s residents until the Kurdish uprising of 1991.
In 1994 civil war broke out between forces of the PUK and the KDP. The fighting between the two went nowhere until 1996, when the KDP made a deal with the devil: with the help of Saddam’s Iraqi forces, the KDP captured the PUK-held cities of Erbil and Sulaymaniyah, driving the PUK into Iran. Much of Sulaymaniyah was destroyed in the fighting. Peace finally prevailed in 1998 when Washington mediated a power-sharing deal between KDP leader Massoud Barzani and PUK leader Jalal Talabani.
Today, ‘Sulay’ as its called by locals, has been rebuilt into a model city. It is the provincial capital of Sulaymaniyah (the capital and province go by the same name), the cultural centre of the Sorani-speaking Kurds, and an important economic centre of Iraqi Kurdistan. Since the 2003 war began, Sulaymaniyah has managed to avoid the violence that has plagued much of the country, making it one of the safest and most-prosperous cities in Iraq.
Orientation
Sulaymaniyah is shaped like a pair of puckered lips, outlined by the Malik Mahmood ring road (also known as the 60 Metre Circular). The eastern skyline is dominated by the striking Zagros Mountains. The main commercial thoroughfare is Salim St, which runs roughly west to east uphill to the city centre; numbered streets run north to south.
The city centre’s main intersection is Sulaymaniyah Circle, where Salim, Mamostayan and Malawi Sts all meet. The Sulaymaniyah Palace Hotel, a major area landmark, is on the southwest corner of this intersection. East of Sulaymaniyah Circle, a giant arched gate leads to Malawai St, a mostly-pedestrian road that runs through the bazaar and old quarter.
The city’s largest park, Azadi, is located smack in the middle of the city, about 1km northwest of the Sulaymaniyah Circle.
Sulay is a very hilly city; get ready to walk up lots of steep inclines.
Information
EMERGENCY
Hospital ( 327 0511; cnr Pashai Kora & Hamdi Sts)
Police and fire ( 104)
Police headquarters ( 210 4058, 312 2811; Salim St)
INTERNET ACCESS
Deya Internet ( 0770 192 9325; Salim St; per hr ID1500; 9am-midnight) One block west of Mihrako Supermarket.
Sara Internet (Kawa St; sarahinernet2008@hotmail.com; per hr ID2000; 8am-11pm)
MONEY
Most banks can wire money internationally. Warka Bank (Salim St; 9am-4pm, closed Fri) offers Western Union services.
POST
The post office ( 313 0873; Malawi St; 8am-1.30pm), located near the bazaar and run by the Kurdish postal service, is fast, cheap and reliable. It costs ID1000 to mail a postcard to Europe, and ID1500 to Australasia and North America. Postcards take four or five days to get to Europe, and about a week to 10 days to Australia and the USA.
TELEPHONE
KurdTel payphones are common throughout Sulaymaniyah. Most require prepaid cards, available from many shops and street vendors. Mobile-phone service is very reliable. The main service provider is AsiaCell. SIM cards are widely available in the bazaar and high street shops.
TRAVEL AGENCIES
Basho Travel ( 312 4730, 0770 214 3070; basho.travel@yahoo.com; Mamostayan St; 10am-6pm) One block south of Sulaymaniyah Circle.
Homa Travel ( 319 0111; Azmar Air Bldg, cnr Salim & Malik Mahmoud Sts; 10am-6pm, closed Fri)
Sights
AMNA SURAKA (RED SECURITY)
The Amna Suraka (21st St; admission free; 9am-noon & 2-4pm Sat-Thu), Kurdish for Red Security, was once a house of unspeakable horrors. Under Saddam Hussein’s regime, this imposing red building served as the northern headquarters of the notorious Iraqi Intelligence Service, or the Mukhabarat. Thousands of people, mainly Kurds, were imprisoned and tortured here.