Focusing on the cultural ties between Iran and Central Asia, this article posits that the common heritage within this region cannot be viewed merely as the cultural remnants of a distant past, nor as a symbolic reservoir for the political consumption of contemporary states. Rather than being a static “object”, heritage in this domain is a living field of memory, representation, translation, competition, and institutional action; a field wherein language, urban spaces, rituals, historical luminaries, historical routes, and epistemic frameworks simultaneously exist across multiple societies and historical narratives. The main research question examines why and how these shared elements, under certain conditions, transform into sources of conflict over attribution rights, historical primacy, and representation, while under other conditions, they can serve as an infrastructure for dialogue, confidence-building, and sustainable cooperation. The core argument of this study is that transitioning from the logic of “symbolic ownership” to a logic of “co-stewardship” is a necessary prerequisite for transforming common heritage into an effective tool for cultural and heritage diplomacy. To formulate this argument, the study employs an integrated framework that synthesizes critical heritage studies, heritage diplomacy, and the sociology of knowledge and representation. The research methodology is qualitative, historical-interpretive, and based on discourse analysis. Accordingly, the study first re-examines the historical context of ties between Iran and Central Asia, and then explores the mechanisms through which narrative conflict and symbolic ownership take shape. Ultimately, it demonstrates that common heritage can only transform into a regional asset when it distances itself from the rhetoric of monopoly, claims of primacy, and prestige-driven competition, and is instead redefined through shared institutions, polyphonic narratives, and distributed responsibility.