Kurdistan Center for Arts & Culture
Address:
Phoenix Tower
Erbil
Kurdistan Region, Iraq
Website
Social Media: @kcac_kurdistan
This collaborative model gives researchers access not only to KCAC’s own holdings but also to partner archives that together form a rich mosaic of Kurdish historical sources. The archiving center is located in a restored heritage building at the heart of Erbil’s old city, steps away from the Erbil Citadel and the Qaysari Bazaar, providing a scenic and culturally resonant venue for discovering Kurdish heritage.
The KCAC has a one-of-a-kind mobile digitization unit, custom built in the back of a van, which allows them to take archiving on the road and reach collections in remote areas across the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.
KCAC’s collections are diverse, with strengths in Kurdish manuscripts, photography, and periodicals. Core holdings include a substantial corpus of manuscripts managed in partnership with a local university; thousands of photographic negatives from the 1950s–90s documenting daily life in Erbil and across Kurdistan; and additional archival photographs from the Kurdish diaspora, especially in Germany and the Netherlands. The archive also preserves photographic prints by Edith Maubec, William Carter, and Michiel Hegener, as well as magazines and newspapers from multiple regional sources. The digital archive covers broad topics in Kurdish history, literature, and cultural production, with nearly 4000 items currently available and many more in the process of being catalogued.
Phoenix Tower
Erbil
Kurdistan Region, Iraq
Website
Social Media: @kcac_kurdistan
About the archive
The Kurdistan Center for Arts and Culture (KCAC) is an institution dedicated to preserving, interpreting, and sharing Kurdish cultural heritage through a hybrid archival model. Combining a growing in‑house collection with a post‑custodial approach, KCAC works closely with wide range of local institutions and private collectors across the Kurdistan Region of Iraq to digitize their materials and make them accessible to a global audience.This collaborative model gives researchers access not only to KCAC’s own holdings but also to partner archives that together form a rich mosaic of Kurdish historical sources. The archiving center is located in a restored heritage building at the heart of Erbil’s old city, steps away from the Erbil Citadel and the Qaysari Bazaar, providing a scenic and culturally resonant venue for discovering Kurdish heritage.
The KCAC has a one-of-a-kind mobile digitization unit, custom built in the back of a van, which allows them to take archiving on the road and reach collections in remote areas across the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.
KCAC’s collections are diverse, with strengths in Kurdish manuscripts, photography, and periodicals. Core holdings include a substantial corpus of manuscripts managed in partnership with a local university; thousands of photographic negatives from the 1950s–90s documenting daily life in Erbil and across Kurdistan; and additional archival photographs from the Kurdish diaspora, especially in Germany and the Netherlands. The archive also preserves photographic prints by Edith Maubec, William Carter, and Michiel Hegener, as well as magazines and newspapers from multiple regional sources. The digital archive covers broad topics in Kurdish history, literature, and cultural production, with nearly 4000 items currently available and many more in the process of being catalogued.
Focus & Research
KCAC’s work is grounded in the study of Kurdish history and heritage, with an emphasis on how archives can represent the memory of a people in the absence of a formally established national archive and whose historical records are dispersed across regions and borders. This challenge drives KCAC to develop innovative archival strategies — such as their mobile digitization unit and cross-border initiatives with Kurdish communities in other countries — to support, interpret, and connect dispersed Kurdish archives. Additionally, KCAC’s work involves actively identifying and documenting new collections whose histories can help illuminate Kurdish cultural and historical experience.Residency details
Available period for archive visits: October 2026 – May 2027Duration on location: 3 to 4 weeks
What the archive offers:
Access to archival materials, databases and catalogues; digital resource; scanners; technical or research support; curatorial guidance and creative input; and introductions to the collection and its contexts.Workspace:
Reading room, shared workspace and a studio can be arrangedAccessibility
- The archiving center is only accessible through steps, but the KCAC office offers a fully accessible alternative
- Quiet and low‑sensory spaces suitable for neurodiverse researchers