Trail Development
in Iraqi Kurdistan
The Zagros Mountain Trail (ZMT) is a 215km long trail through the Kurdistan region of Iraq, stretching from the village of Shush in the west to the foot of Mount Halgurd in the east. The trail takes walkers through 36 communities along ancient pilgrimage routes, trading paths, and shepherds’ tracks.
Walking from Qamaryan to Khalan
Where We Are Now
API jumped at the opportunity to co-create this long-distance trail in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) 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. In April 2022, The New York Times Voyages Magazine featured the ZMT in its Voyages Issue.
Over the last few years, API and our partners in Kurdistan have:
- Scouted hundreds of kilometers of trail following the Zagros Mountains and the Zab River,
- Connected with five homestay host families and engaged 10 day-stage hiking guides,
- Initiated relationships with seven outdoor clubs representing hundreds of local walkers,
- Completed a technical through-hike in May 2022, and
- Launched day-long walks along portions of the ZMT in the spring and autumn.
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.
You can help further development of the Zagros Mountain Trail with a tax-deductible donation. Please make a gift today, and let’s walk!
Images from the
Kurdistan Region of Iraq
