Following our visit to the Halabja Memorial, we made our way across town to the cemetery where many of the victims of the chemical attack are buried. The first thing we noticed was the sign that forbids any members of Saddam Hussein’s party from entering the grounds.

Not far past the entrance we walked past several memorials to the victims, most of whom were buried in mass graves after the attacks.

The gravestones list the names of several family members. Like many military cemeteries, there was a real solemnity to the uniformity of all the stones.

This cemetery is not just for the victims of the attack, it also functions as a cemetery for the town. Several graves/tombs had an iron housing around it, most however, were simple stones with little decoration or writing.

It seemed a bit strange to visit this place while the sun was shining so high in the sky; I felt like I needed a leaden sky to match how I felt this day.

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Site: Martyr’s Monument and Cemetery

Location: Yadgaree Street 964,، Halabjah

Hours: unknown