Baghdad Central Prison, Former maximum security prison in Al Anbar Governorate, Iraq.
Baghdad Central Prison was a large concrete detention center spread across a desert site west of the capital. The compound featured multiple cell blocks, watchtowers, and fenced perimeter walls that separated housing areas for maximum security inmates.
The compound opened in the mid-1950s during the monarchy and continued to operate through several changes of government. Military advances by armed groups prompted authorities to shut down the facility permanently in 2014.
The prison's location in Al Anbar Governorate reflects the region's complex social dynamics, situated among predominantly Sunni Arab communities near ancient trade routes.
The site lies in the Al Anbar desert roughly half an hour's drive west of Baghdad. Security conditions in the area remain sensitive, and the grounds are currently closed to visitors.
In 2013, hundreds of inmates escaped during a nighttime operation that became one of the most widely reported events in regional corrections history. The breakout was planned over several months and involved coordinated attacks from both inside and outside the perimeter.
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