With the Mesopotamian Region's rich and deep history, it's a given that the fields of archeology and heritage preservation would take root in Iraq and Kurdistan. But with the current and past political developments in the region, coupled with a recent pandemic, excavation and preservation projects have run into numerous obstacles. Professors Schwartz and Bahrani discuss their current projects in KRI as well as some of these obstacles and the developments that have come to define overall field of research in the region.