I visited three of Slemani's parks. The closest to the city centre is the small one next to Suleymaniyeh University, almost opposite the huge Palace Hotel. This one was busy in the morning with tea drinkers, and had an "avenue of heads", stone busts of some important local historical figures.

The second one I found was east of the bazaar, small but new and well designed, with a large statue of a woman as its centrepiece.

Finally, I walked all the way out to Azadi park, expecting it to be similar to the large park in Erbil. I shall start with a quote from LP..."Azadi park is Sulaymaniyah's answer to Central park and Coney Island all rolled into one". now, I've never been to New York, but I have a feeling that New yorkers might not welcome the comparison. Azadi Park is huge, and there is a lot of potential here, but a lot of the park was unfinished and bare, and there were very few places to sit. Perhaps it is nicer in the sun...or perhaps it will be nicer once it is finished...but it does have the obligatory enormous Kurdish flag fluttering above an abstract monument to something or other