Integrating Cross-community History with Reconciliation and Heritage Protection

This project investigated and documented a comprehensive history of a politically contested shrine using documentary and oral sources from Iraqi Shia, local Iraqi, and Iraqi Jewish communities. It also recognised that the contested history of the shrine meant that effective preservation required political mobilisation from stakeholder communities. The project further aimed to create a joint forum to guide the research process, enabling competing narratives to be negotiated and reconciled with the historical record by all sides. Additionally, the forum was intended to develop and implement an action plan to preserve the shrine’s significance in both its Jewish and Islamic contexts. The forum prioritised sustainable development and aimed to create a model for future projects.