For those of you not familiar with the past Iraqi War or with Persian geography, you may not have heard of a couple of places that have played a part in its history. You may not have heard of Amna Suraka. This place is located in Iraq and is considered as one of the more impressive museums in Iraq. It has however, a fairly dark and horrible past.
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 former prison itself is located within a security compound in the city of Sulaymaniyeh. It still is colored red as its namesake implies, and also people have retained the bullet holes that are reminiscent of the 1991 uprising. The courtyard is still full of weapons of war like tanks, artillery pieces, mortars and what not. Retained by the people, it stands as a reminder of what used to be and what should not be again.
The first area that will greet one when entering the building will be the Hall of Mirrors. This hall contains 182,000 shards of glass comprising one enormous sort of installation art. Each shard represents one life taken from the Kurds under the rule of Saddam. On the ceiling of the same room are twinkling lights numbering 4,500, each light representing one village destroyed during the Anfal campaign.
Going further into the building one will find a replica of a traditional Kurdish village in the next room. Further on, the visitor will see cells used for torture and confinement, complete with gruesome statues to reenact what had happened inside. One such reenactment is a diorama involving the torture of two children by prison guards.
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.
Definitely this is one of those places wherein one can visit while trudging onwards or backpacking through Kurdistan. It will not only be educational but instrumental as well in keeping one in touch with humanity.
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 former prison itself is located within a security compound in the city of Sulaymaniyeh. It still is colored red as its namesake implies, and also people have retained the bullet holes that are reminiscent of the 1991 uprising. The courtyard is still full of weapons of war like tanks, artillery pieces, mortars and what not. Retained by the people, it stands as a reminder of what used to be and what should not be again.
The first area that will greet one when entering the building will be the Hall of Mirrors. This hall contains 182,000 shards of glass comprising one enormous sort of installation art. Each shard represents one life taken from the Kurds under the rule of Saddam. On the ceiling of the same room are twinkling lights numbering 4,500, each light representing one village destroyed during the Anfal campaign.
Going further into the building one will find a replica of a traditional Kurdish village in the next room. Further on, the visitor will see cells used for torture and confinement, complete with gruesome statues to reenact what had happened inside. One such reenactment is a diorama involving the torture of two children by prison guards.
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.
Definitely this is one of those places wherein one can visit while trudging onwards or backpacking through Kurdistan. It will not only be educational but instrumental as well in keeping one in touch with humanity.
About the Author:
Read my intriguing story about the experience at 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 blog today by reviewing the site.
Aucun commentaire:
Enregistrer un commentaire