About

About the ISIS Prisons Museum

Tens of thousands of people passed through the network of prisons created by the terror group ISIS. A surveillance and detention system was at the heart of ISIS rule, in which thousands disappeared, never to return. The ISIS PRISONS MUSEUM (IPM) is a museum space that uses online digital storytelling and physical immersive exhibitions to promote public awareness of ISIS crimes and of the fates of those who were imprisoned by the group in Syria and Iraq.

IPM’s aim is to increase awareness of ISIS crimes globally by establishing the facts of what was done to the victims and their families in order to achieve justice and accountability.

Our archive includes an interactive searchable database of over 70,000 documents left behind by ISIS, hundreds of video interviews with survivors of ISIS prisons, physical objects, and drone footage of mass graves. Since 2017, the IPM has designed hundreds of virtual tours of prisons, mass graves, and urban environments. These too form an important part of the archive. They involve interactive 3D documentation of the sites and 3D reconstructions of crime scenes.

Our research unit, , in coordination with trained journalists and researchers on the ground in both Syria and Iraq, conducts in-depth investigations and produces reports on the crimes committed by ISIS and other actors, and various other aspects of the group’s rule. The investigations are based on careful analysis of the material already in the archive, as well as continuing research. A rolling series of investigations will be published on the IPM website.

The IPM’s work is the first in a series covering prison sites from the wider Middle East region.

The Jawab platform, a sister project, works with families of the missing to help them trace what happened to their loved ones, to pursue justice and closure, to advocate for the families, and to honor the victims.

Our Story 

In 2017, as soon as ISIS fled its positions, our team entered the buildings the group had taken possession of and turned into detention centers, torture chambers, and execution sites. We were searching for our colleagues who had been abducted by the group in 2013.

We didn’t find any sign of our missing colleagues, but we did discover tens of thousands of important ISIS documents, as well as names scratched on the walls by prisoners.

We needed to archive and analyze this material before it was lost. The collapse, demolition, or refurbishment of these buildings made our task more urgent. So we set about recording, documenting, and preserving knowledge of these sites. This process would eventually lead to the conception and launch of the ISIS Prisons Museum.

The IPM was established by journalists, filmmakers, and human rights activists from Syria and Iraq. While our focus on ISIS prisons was born of factual necessity, the museum itself was born of the responsibility to utilize our archive in the service of Syrian and Iraqi victims and survivors, as well as the larger international public. We have worked to provide a reliable record, an educational resource, and a tool for justice.

IPM teams continue investigations in Syria and Iraq. Working at the interface of journalism, human rights, and the latest communications technology, the IPM now brings together creative women and men from the region and the wider world. These include investigative reporters, artists, filmmakers, architects and 3D designers, legal professionals, archivists, translators, analysts, and researchers. Over a hundred people have contributed to the project since 2017.

For safety reasons, the team’s names are not published here. ISIS cells remain active in Syria and Iraq, and further afield.

Our Aim and Objectives 

• Commemorate the victims and amplify the voices of the survivors.
• Expose ISIS crimes through 3D documentation of sites and reconstruction of crime scenes.
• Produce a rolling series of investigations into ISIS crimes, its ideology, administration, and effects on society.
• Place ISIS crimes in their historical and political context, showing their relation to other crimes committed in the region and further afield.
• Advocate for justice, and build evidence for use in court cases and legal procedures
• Maintain and expand the IPM archive as a repository of documented evidence.

Physical Exhibitions

In addition to our virtual presence, physical exhibitions will be head at various locations around the world. These will curate and display forensic artefacts retrieved from ISIS prisons and other sites, as well as offering visitors 3D tour experiences.

Our first physical exhibition, Three Walls: Spatial Narratives of Old Mosul, will be hosted by UNESCO in Paris, between November 6 and 14, 2024. For up to date exhibitions and events visit our events page.

FAQ

What is the ISIS Prisons Museum?

The ISIS PRISONS MUSEUM (IPM) is a virtual museum dedicated to the fates of those who were imprisoned by the Islamic State / ISIS in Syria and Iraq. It uses digital storytelling and state-of-the art animation technology to provide an educational resource to increase public awareness of ISIS crimes. It serves as a memory space for the victims for whom justice has only rarely been delivered. It is also a research tool for those analyzing the inner works of ISIS, as prosecutors, academics and journalists. It is a first in a series of prisons museum sites from the Middle East region.

The virtual museum is enhanced by immersive and interactive physical exhibitions all over the world. Since 2017, the IPM has virtually recreated hundreds of ISIS prisons sites and connects them to testimonies and documentary evidence for virtual site visits. The team through its own efforts of documentation and investigations has created a vast digital archive from which it draws the material for the museum.

When did the museum open?

The IPM was launched on October 11, 2024. Its online launch at www.isisprison.museum was accompanied by a launch event in London. Press coverage can be found here. The museum is continuously expanded as the team works to build additional stories from its material.

Why does the museum focus on the prisons of ISIS?

A surveillance and detention system was at the heart of ISIS rule. Tens of thousands of people passed through its network of prisons. Thousands disappeared, never to return. An understanding of the omnipresent system of ISIS prisons builds a core understanding of the nature of ISIS rule and the crimes and atrocities committed. Simultaneously ISIS is connected to a long history of violence and human rights violations in the region by many actors. The documentation and investigations of ISIS crimes thus brings references to this history as well.

What topics did you choose for the  opening for the IPM?

The first two sites presented at the museum are the Al-Ahdath Prison in Mosul and the Stadium prison in Raqqa. Coverage of the topic includes tours, a timeline, witness testimonies, an interview with a former ISIS interrogator, a catalog of relevant documents, and two special investigations. 

What is in the archive that is the base for the museum?

At the heart of the IPM lies the archive, a constantly growing documentation of historic and contemporary information about the crimes of ISIS and the locations used for those crimes.

The archive consists of two distinct collections of information with clearly different provenances. One collection comprises documents, propaganda material and physical objects originated by ISIS found in Syria and Iraq after it left and used during its regime until 2017. The other collection is digital material produced on sites and elsewhere documenting the authentic places and voices of those in the prisons of ISIS or living under their regime. This material was and continues to be produced since 2017, after ISIS was defeated.

The archive includes a searchable database of over 70,000 documents left behind by ISIS, hundreds of video interviews with survivors of ISIS prisons, and drone footage of mass graves. It also has footage of every room in the dozens of buildings used as prisons by ISIS and over 1,000 photos of messages left on the walls of the prison sites.

What is the methodology of fact-finding and documentation for the archive?

The IPM’s unique approach uses cutting edge technology such as 3D virtual reconstruction, a graph database, and Optical Character Recognition (OCR) to accurately reconstruct and investigate crime scenes, whether prisons or mass graves.

The first step is data collection – including documents, testimonies, drone footage, site photography and filming, and documentation of names written on prison walls. Next connections are established between the data sets to trace missing people and to better understand events. Finally, the analysis of the data and the connections between the data provides a clear chain of evidence which is then connected to additional research and is the base for the virtual reconstruction of sites and events.

The treatment of each of the topics in the museum includes virtual tours, a catalog of documents, witness testimonies, a timeline of key events, a dictionary of key terms, and original investigations and reports.

The IPM also curates and exhibits accounts of imprisonment under other regimes in the region and around the world. These narratives help to build a picture of the larger context in which ISIS crimes took place.

What makes this archive and its collections special?

The archive contains information about Syria AND Iraq. It combines original records by ISIS with many additional layers of site documentation and witness information. It is directly in contact with those most affected. It considers itself an active archive that is intrinsically linked to investigations about ISIS.

It works with cutting edge technology: The archival collection of the ISIS documents is connected to state-of-the-art graph data visualization technology, allowing for instant recognition of connections between places, events, and names. The graph data visualization will gradually include more of the witness testimonies and site documentations. Its 3D tours allow for an evidentiary inspection of crimes and events on a large scale, for researchers, legal professionals, the families of victims and for everyone who is interested.

How can the archive be used for research?

The archive is the foundation for the IPM. Investigations conducted by the team will be displayed on the sites of the project. The archive is also available as a research platform for academic researchers, journalists, and judiciary bodies. At this stage all interaction with the archive is mediated by the archivists. The high amount of personal data and the technical limitations of the digital archival management make this a necessity.

How can the archive be used for family inquiries?

All interaction with families of disappeared, missing or dead victims of ISIS work via the Jawab platform, a sister project of the IPM, and are on a case-by-case basis. Currently Jawab is in contact with about 100 families and increases its awareness with every month. 

Is Jawab related to the IPM?

Jawab advocates for those disappeared by ISIS and for their families in Syria and Iraq. It is a parallel project of the team behind the IPM but works at its core with families of the missing to help them trace what happened to their loved ones. Its goal is to pursue justice and closure for the families, and to honor the victims. Much of its activity happens in the region by consulting and supporting the families. Its digital portal is a first step to the information gathered in the archive, reserved for those who have lost a loved one or are still searching for a missing family member. Any research activity can only be accommodated on a case by case basis. (see question on family research)

Have the documents been translated into English?

Yes. All information, once ingested into the digital repository, is available in Arabic and English. All publicly made available documents are also in an original and an English version on the websites.

Are audio or video files transcribed?

All audio and video produced by the IPM team from the sites in Syria and Iraq, including the witness interviews, are transcribed. Most of the audio and video information left behind by ISIS is not yet transcribed.

Has the archive been connecting its collections with other archives and fact-finders?

At this point, the archive has not embarked on exchanges, but is very open to do so in the future. 

Who is behind the IPM?

The team behind the ISIS Prisons Museum is a group of journalists, documentary filmmakers, artists, archivists, and experts that originally started to cover events in Syria in 2010. Its idea was propelled by a journalist searching for colleagues and his photographer brother who were imprisoned by ISIS. Over time more than 100 people joined the efforts of documenting the injustices and crimes. Since many had interactions with ISIS or were in their prisons or were persecuted by the Syrian regime, for safety reasons their names are not published here.

The team behind the IPM considers itself not just documentarians of the crimes but also investigators. The results of their investigations inform the online and off-line projects. They are united by a dedication to document factually what happened to contribute to justice, truth and the memory of those who perished under ISIS terror.

Where does the money come from to fund the archive and the projects?

The projects and the archive are funded by different types of organizations, some of them ministries of foreign affairs, some of them foundations that have changed over time. The team behind the IPM remains independent and dedicated to their mission to document what happened to support accountability for crimes committed.