Sulemania (Kurdish: سلێمانی) was founded in 1784 by Ibrahim Pasha Baban, a Kurdish prince, to be the capital of his principality. Since then it has been Iraqi Kurdistan’s cultural capital and home to philosophers, poets and writers. Its importance is not limited to Iraq, but for the whole of the Kurdistan region, which also encompasses parts of Turkey, Syria and Iran. Slemani, as it is also known, attracted many Sorani-speaking Kurdish linguists and writers, and here Sorani literature was developed.
Sulaimaniya has a great view from outside, above the mountains around it (Goizha, Azmar, Piramagrwn and Baranan). The city is in the phase of transition from a usual city to a tourism city in every sense of the word. 1 Sulaymaniyah Museum (Slemani Museum), Salim Street, ☏ +964 533200609, info@slemanimuseum.org. Second biggest museum after the national museum in Baghdad. It is home to many Kurdish and ancient Persian artifacts dating back to 1792–1750 BC. In 1961, the museum was opened in the Shorsh district, but moved to its current building in Salim Street in 1980.
There is a bowling centre, Azadi park and other places to visit. 1 Chavy Land, info@chaviland.org. Despite the unfortunate name, this is an impressive theme park with various rides, a cable car to the mountain top and an aqua park. The top of the mountain has a restaurant. There are also many cafés in the park. Entry costs IQD3000 with rides costing extra. Entry and a ride on the cable car will cost IQD6000. Chavy Land is also often shown as Chavi Land. Entry IQD3000. (updated Apr 2018)
Alcohol is not very hard to find, with many restaurants serving it and bars at the hotels. Spirits such as vodka are popular. 1 Dubliner Sleimani, Malik Mahmud Ring Road (inside the Millennium Kurdistan Hotel and Spa), ☏ +964 772 3336049. Few corners of the earth escape the reach of the ubiquitous Irish Pub. Reasonably extensive food menu alongside the drink offerings. Cocktails 8-10 USD. (updated Aug 2026) Coffee is not popular in Suli, and tea is generally a better bet. The local taste is for instant coffee, and the coffee section of a grocery store will be dominated by MacCoffee and Nescafe.
Guide content from Wikivoyage contributors (CC BY-SA) — abridged; the full article has much more.
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