The Role of Natural Heritage and Tourist Trails in Local Development: The case of Sama Al-Sarhan District (Jordan)

The study aimed to diagnose the reality of cultural heritage in the Sama Al-Sarhan district. It also sought to highlight the status of heritage in its tracking of and association with tourist trails at the historical-archaeological and environmental-cultural levels and to know the extent of their impact on the development of the local community. The study relied on the historical approach by tracing the chronology of the civilizations that settled in the region. In addition, the study also used the survey approach represented by interviews, visits, and repeated field observations of the area. The results of the study indicated that the region is full of diverse heritage components, but they have not yet been exploited. The region, with its historical, archaeological and natural monuments, has long been forgotten, and this is an exclusion and a marginalization of an important part of the memory of local communities. The study also revealed that tourist trails contribute to linking natural and cultural heritage sites with each other, which will contribute to stimulating tourism movement in the region. The study recommended the need to carry out excavation and restoration work for archaeological sites in the region by the competent authorities, to ensure their continuity as a fixed resource for subsequent generations, on the one hand, and on the other hand, to attract tourists to them.