This past June, the first American tour group traveled to Kurdistan, an autonomous region in northern Iraq.

Escorted by cultural travel company Distant Horizons, a group of 17 Americans flew Austrian Airlines to the capital city of Erbil, and set off on an unprecedented two-week tour of the region.

Kurdistan, which covers large swaths of northern Iraq (along with parts of Turkey, Iran and Syria) has developed a campaign promoting the region as The Other Iraq — a peaceful, stable and modernized autonomous region that has now opened its doors to American visitors.

So take a look at this diverse region through the eyes of some recent visitors …

Click here to take a look at the Kurdistan slideshow.