Iraqis, Syrians document survival stories in virtual Daesh prison museum

In 2014, Iraqi scholar Muhammad Al-Attar found himself imprisoned by the Daesh terrorist group, detained for refusing to align with their extremist ideology. Taken from his perfume shop in Mosul, Al-Attar faced torture and shared a cramped cell with nearly 150 other detainees. According to a report by AFP, in order to keep hope alive, he would cry silently under his blanket, not wanting to show weakness to the younger men who looked up to him.

Al-Attar’s experience is just one of over 500 stories documented by the ISIS Prisons Museum, a digital archive that brings to life the harrowing experiences of those imprisoned by Daesh. The project, which offers virtual tours of former Daesh detention centres, opened its first in-person exhibition at UNESCO’s headquarters in Paris. The Three Walls: Spatial Narratives of Old Mosul launched on 6 November and runs until 14 November.

After seizing the Ahdath Prison in #Mosul in 2014, ISIS made changes to the facility, and converted it into its most feared security prison. ISIS committed grave violations of prisoners’ rights, including systematic torture. pic.twitter.com/3DneAVxMi4

— ISIS prisons museum – متحف سجون داعش (@prisonsmuseum) November 10, 2024

The museum was founded by Syrian journalist Amer Matar, whose personal connection to Daesh’s brutality began in 2013 when his brother was abducted. Matar began his journey to uncover the truth, gathering a team to collect testimonies and preserve evidence from former prisons after 2017. They used 3D technology to capture the haunting remains of around 50 prisons and documented over 100 locations where atrocities took place.

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One of the most poignant discoveries was inside the infamous Raqa stadium. “People left behind names, pleas for help, or memories of those who didn’t survive,” Matar explained. “These messages were their way of reaching out to the future, hoping someone would remember them.”

Robin Yassin-Kassab, the English editor for the project, stressed that the museum’s goal is to serve as a resource for justice. “We want to make sure legal teams across the world know about this archive, so they can reach out to us for evidence,” he said.

Despite his efforts, Matar still has no answers about his brother’s fate. Yet, his mission continues. Next year, he plans to launch Jawab, meaning “Answer” in Arabic, a platform dedicated to helping others find closure regarding loved ones lost to Daesh. For Matar, the museum is not just an archive, it is a way to honour the resilience of those who survived and to ensure their stories live on.

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