Sulaymaniyah: how to get there and around
Airports, stations, ports, where the hotels are and what the numbers say, from public data rather than a brochure.
Sulaymaniyah is a city of 878,146 people in Iraq, 847 m (2,779 ft) above sea level. The nearest large airport is Kirkuk International Airport (KIK), 99 km (62 mi) from the centre.
Key facts
Open Sulaymaniyah in Google Maps
Daylight in Sulaymaniyah runs from about 9 h 48 min a day in late December to 14 h 37 min in late June (computed for 35.56° latitude), which matters more than the forecast when a day is built around one flight or one crossing.
Getting there
Sulaymaniyah is served by 2 airports with scheduled flights within 100 km. The closest large one is Kirkuk International Airport (KIK), 99 km (62 mi) from the centre, with a longest runway of 9,809 ft, which limits it to short and medium-haul aircraft. The alternatives are Jalal Talabani International Airport (ISU, 11 km).
Flights to Sulaymaniyah: every airport, routes and times
Buses to Sulaymaniyah · Driving and car hire
Nearby cities, and how to get between them
- Baghdad, 265 km — flights · trains · buses · car rental · tours
- Mosul, 225 km — flights · trains · buses · car rental · tours
- Erbil, 146 km — trains · buses · car rental · tours
- Tabriz, 290 km (Iran) — flights
- Karbala, 353 km — trains · buses · car rental
- Sadr City, 258 km — trains · buses · car rental · tours
- Kirkuk, 95 km — trains · buses · car rental · tours
- Abū Ghurayb, 276 km — trains · buses · car rental · tours
- Kermanshah, 204 km (Iran)
- Orūmīyeh, 223 km (Iran)
Twin towns and sister cities: Tucson, Scranton.
Common questions
Which airport serves Sulaymaniyah?
Kirkuk International Airport (KIK), 99 km (62 mi) from the centre, plus 1 other airport with scheduled flights within 100 km.
How big is Sulaymaniyah?
About 878,146 people live in Sulaymaniyah (GeoNames).
What time zone is Sulaymaniyah in?
Asia/Baghdad, currently UTC+3.
What currency is used in Sulaymaniyah?
The Dinar (IQD). Traffic drives on the right.
Which cities are near Sulaymaniyah?
Baghdad (265 km), Mosul (225 km), Erbil (146 km), Tabriz (290 km), Karbala (353 km).
Where these facts come from
- GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, elevation, time zone, postal codes
- Wikidata (CC0): area, sister cities, visitor numbers, heritage listings, stations and ports
- OurAirports (public domain): airports, runways
- Natural Earth (public domain): map outlines
Data compiled 13 September 2026. Hotel figures are from our booking partner’s catalogue on that date. Journey times on this page are estimates from distance, not timetables; check the operator before you rely on one.