Slemani, founded in 1784 by the Kurdish prince Ibrahim Pasha Baban, who named it after his father, Sleman Pasha, has always been the center of great historians, politicians, journalists, scholars, artists, singers, poets and writers such as Nali, Mahwi, Bekas and Piramerd. The city is the largest in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, with a population of 2,486,486 citizens and a total territory of 21,071 km2. Alongside
arts and culture, its primary industries are agriculture, education, healthcare,
and tourism, with developing fields of manufacturing and renewable energy.
Kashkul, with Slemani Governor, its Directorate of Culture, and major literary stakeholders in the city applied to designate Slemani as UNESCO’s Creative City of Literature. On October 31, 2019, UNESCO’s Creative Cities Network welcomed Slemani into a global network of 246 cities. The network covers seven creative fields: Crafts and Folk Arts, Media Arts, Film, Design, Gastronomy, Literature and Music. The Creative Cities are working together towards a common objective: placing creativity and cultural industries at the heart of their development plans at the local level and cooperating actively at the international level.
Zanst Organization is a non-governmental and non-partisan organization that focuses on dialogue and research in intellectual, cultural, political, and social fields. The organization conducts research
Rahand Cultural Center is a cultural Center in the city of Slemani, established in 2018. The center consists of a library, a café, and a
Paia studio is a consulting agency dedicated to empowering cultural, educational, and creative organizations. Operating from Slemani, Kurdistan Region, Iraq, Paia Studio collaborates with public
Ghazalnus Center is a unique cultural center and library that has become a sanctuary for book lovers in the city of Slemani. With its beautiful
Agora Vision was founded to use creative thinking, great designs, and computing advancements to fill a gap in Kurdish and other distinctive literature around the
An influential intellectual center in the Kurdish cultural world, Hazhan Center in Slemani, has been actively engaged in Kurdish cultural and intellectual life since its
