The Heritage Horizons Project: Empowering Economic and Touristic Advancements Through Historical and Cultural Landscape Enhancement

This article presents “Heritage Horizons”, an interdisciplinary collaboration project aimed at promoting sustainable development in the Garmian area, in the Iraqi Kurdistan region, through the protection and enhancement of its archaeological, historical and cultural landscape, by training the staff of local partner institutions and supporting the development of sustainable tourism. The project develops from the proactive cooperation between Italian and Kurdish academic and non-academic institutions, including the Alma Mater Studiorum - University of Bologna, the University of Garmian, the Garmian Directorate of Antiquities and Heritage, the Garmian Directorate of Tourism, ISMEO - the International Association for Mediterranean and Oriental Studies, and the International Institute of Kurdish Culture in Rome. Far from being a top-down intervention, Heritage Horizons was envisioned and designed through a participatory process involving all the partners and stakeholders. The engagement of Kurdish partners, in fact, has been central to identifying local priorities, determining project strategies, and guaranteeing contextual and cultural relevance. By integrating historical and archaeological research, educational outreach, and sustainable tourism planning, the initiative addresses critical threats to heritage while promote inclusive socio-economic regeneration. Anchored in the current debates in heritage studies and participatory conservation, this presentation outlines the project’s methodology, aims, and outcomes, highlighting how collaboration between local and international academic and non-academic actors can contribute to the realisation of resilient and inclusive development models in post-conflict contexts and developing regions.