In July 2014 Erbil Citadel (Iraq), a rare and unique surviving model of an urban ancient settlement, has been included in the UNESCO list of world heritage. Cultural heritage expresses the originality and civilization of any nation and how far progress and creativity have been occurred. Architectural heritage is reflecting all the different aspects of life, the social, historical , economic, artistic, environmental and political aspects that the nation has reached in any age. Kurdistan is considered as the cradle of civilizations, and Erbil city is the oldest continuously inhabited settlement. There is evidence that its lofty citadel has been continually inhabited since 6000 years. Nowadays, the urban heritage of the ancient city of Erbil suffers from multiple factors challenging its future. Therefore, urgent intervention is required to control and maintain its heritage. This paper attempts to provide a methodological approach based on a set of standards and requirements for the process of choosing the best use of the historical buildings. The paper assumes the necessity of adopting standards that can influence a new type of usage that is efficient and suitable for the historical buildings and their various values. These standards will can also be proposed to protect and maintain the heritage buildings and the urban environment of the ancient part of Erbil city. Cultural continuity must be maintained by transferring cultural meaning over generations. Heritage represents the development of urban life and the interest of the people and their traditions in the field of building and construction. Here the architectural heritage is both presented in material and immaterial aspects. The improvement of heritage domains and the maintenance of its urban and historical content require the existence of an infrastructure of legal, administrative, financial and advertising policies and strategies that ensure the success of the projects of improvement. This is an important precondition that requires a great deal of experience, knowledge and culture. This is no longer limited to local or national interest. It became a humanitarian message in which peoples cooperate in carrying it out. They exchange experiences about it under the supervision of specialized international organizations or regional bodies.
