Erbil’s Oldest Quarter Becomes Home to the Kurdistan Region’s First Cultural District

Four heritage houses are being transformed into the Araban Cultural District, the Kurdistan Region’s first dedicated cultural district. Established by the Kurdistan Center for Arts and Culture (KCAC), the district is located within the buffer zone of the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Citadel of Erbil. The restored buildings will return historic architecture to active civic use as the Araban Gallery, the House of Manuscripts, and two learning centres created to strengthen the Region’s cultural workforce. The four houses have been under restoration since 2024. Once completed, they will form an interconnected cultural campus supporting exhibitions, manuscript preservation, archival research, public programmes, and professional training. The project introduces a heritage-led regeneration model that preserves historic architecture while adapting it for contemporary cultural use. It also responds to the limited availability of specialist training for archivists, conservators, curators, researchers, and cultural administrators. Moreover, it reflects KCAC’s commitment to building institutions that honour inherited heritage while creating meaningful opportunities for future generations.

“Trust that whatis built carefully, with great intention, endures — and that whatendures, in time, becomes worthy of the inheritance it carries,” said Barav Barzanî, Founder and President of KCAC.

The Araban Cultural District stands near the Citadel of Erbil, one of the city’s most recognisable historic landmarks and a place that reflects successive periods of settlement, urban development, and cultural exchange. Around the Citadel, Erbil’s older quarters preserve traces of the city’s traditional urban life. Their courtyards, brickwork, passages, and domestic architectural forms hold the memories of generations who lived and worked within them. As older structures disappear, cities risk losing not only physical landmarks but also the stories they embody. The restoration of the four houses seeks to protect this inheritance by returning the buildings to everyday public life. Rather than remaining closed monuments or unused remnants of the past, they will become working cultural spaces where people can encounter art and participate in workshops. Restoration work has focused on retaining the architectural identity of the houses. Original elements and materials are being preserved and repaired wherever possible, allowing the structures to maintain their historic character while accommodating their new cultural functions. The houses will remain connected to the history of their surroundings while serving artists, researchers, students, professionals, residents, and visitors of the present. KCAC’s institutional development is supported by international consultants whose clients include the Smithsonian and the Riyadh Cultural District. Their involvement contributes to the district’s governance, operational planning, collection policies, programme development, and long-term institutional strategy.

Each of the four houses will serve a distinct purpose within the district, but their programmes will be closely connected. The Araban Gallery builds on KCAC’s curatorial work by providing a permanent venue for contemporary and historical exhibitions, commissions, research-led projects, public discussions, and exchanges between artists from Kurdistan and the wider region. The House of Manuscripts will be dedicated...