Walking in Southwest Asia: Iraqi Kurdistan

API first had the opportunity to co-create a long-distance trail in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq in 2018 when Abraham Path Fellows were in the region researching local cultural heritage. Since 2019, we’ve been hard at work with local partners, scouting trails, establishing relationships with communities along the trail and stakeholders, and identifying places of cultural, historical, and natural interest.

Today, the Zagros Mountain Trail is a 215-km trail stretching from the monastery of Al Qosh in the west to the foot of Mount Halgurd in the east. The trail is a work-in-progress, and there are plans for a through-hike in Autumn 2023. For more information on upcoming daily walks, future through-hikes, and when the trail will be ready for independent hikers, please email: info@zagrosmountaintrail.org. 

Two local hikers - Stella Martany and Meena Rawandozi - participated in the technical through-hike last year (2022) and contributed to our digital postcard series. To learn more about Stella and Meena, and get a glimpse of the stunning scenery in Iraqi Kurdistan, take a look at their postcards! 

Note: For more information about upcoming weekly walks, please contact info@zagrosmountaintrail.org.