Most of us are too young to remember what happened in Iraq and what atrocities happened during the age of conflict in the region. Many of us for sure may not have even heard of Amna Suraka and what it was. It is however, one of the finer museums in Iraq today.
The building wherein the museum is situated is actually a former prison used by the security forces of former president Saddam Hussein. Its name in Kurdish basically means Red Security House, or in short Red Security. The museum stands as a testament and a reminder for the world wherein thousands were interned in this prison and were tortured and maltreated for political crimes, or for just simply being of Kurdish origin.
The museum itself is located in Sulaymaniyeh within the old security compound for the security forces at the time. Colored red, it has extra decorations in the form of retained bullet holes from the 1991 uprising that was part of a wave that made Iraq free. The courtyard still has old tanks, artillery and other weapons of war as a grim reminder.
The Hall of Mirrors is the first room or area that the tourist and visitor will see upon entrance to the museum. One form of installation art that contains 182,000 shards of glass is most fascinating. Each shard represents one loss of life taken from the Kurdish nation during the rule of Iraq under Saddam. The ceiling also has art that pays homage to the villages destroyed by Saddam, represented by twinkling lights each representing one village, numbering 4,500 in all.
As the visitor continues on further, he or she will find a replica of a Kurdish traditional village home in the next room. Further on, he or she will pass through several cells used for detention and torture in the olden days. One will definitely feel uneasy as some cells contain gruesome statues that depict what had occurred in them. One particularly disturbing one is one in which two children are tortured by guards for information.
Going down further to the basement, one will be immersed in a photo gallery depicting the chemical attack on Halabja. The way it is presented here is somewhat akin to what one would see in the Holocaust museum in Tel Aviv. It will definitely make one more humanistic and sympathetic to the Kurdish plight.
Thus on the trip that involve Kurdistan, whether one is just backpacking through or riding through, it would be recommended to visit this place. Not only will it be educational, but a somewhat humanizing experience as well.
The building wherein the museum is situated is actually a former prison used by the security forces of former president Saddam Hussein. Its name in Kurdish basically means Red Security House, or in short Red Security. The museum stands as a testament and a reminder for the world wherein thousands were interned in this prison and were tortured and maltreated for political crimes, or for just simply being of Kurdish origin.
The museum itself is located in Sulaymaniyeh within the old security compound for the security forces at the time. Colored red, it has extra decorations in the form of retained bullet holes from the 1991 uprising that was part of a wave that made Iraq free. The courtyard still has old tanks, artillery and other weapons of war as a grim reminder.
The Hall of Mirrors is the first room or area that the tourist and visitor will see upon entrance to the museum. One form of installation art that contains 182,000 shards of glass is most fascinating. Each shard represents one loss of life taken from the Kurdish nation during the rule of Iraq under Saddam. The ceiling also has art that pays homage to the villages destroyed by Saddam, represented by twinkling lights each representing one village, numbering 4,500 in all.
As the visitor continues on further, he or she will find a replica of a Kurdish traditional village home in the next room. Further on, he or she will pass through several cells used for detention and torture in the olden days. One will definitely feel uneasy as some cells contain gruesome statues that depict what had occurred in them. One particularly disturbing one is one in which two children are tortured by guards for information.
Going down further to the basement, one will be immersed in a photo gallery depicting the chemical attack on Halabja. The way it is presented here is somewhat akin to what one would see in the Holocaust museum in Tel Aviv. It will definitely make one more humanistic and sympathetic to the Kurdish plight.
Thus on the trip that involve Kurdistan, whether one is just backpacking through or riding through, it would be recommended to visit this place. Not only will it be educational, but a somewhat humanizing experience as well.
About the Author:
Read my intriguing story about the trip to Amna Suraka Iraq where I faced many challenges along the way. I have written about my backpacking Iraq to Saddam Hussein's house of horrors. Check out my posts right away by visiting the site.
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