What is a UNESCO World Heritage site?

UNESCO is a specialized organization affiliated with the United Nations that aims to contribute to world peace through voluntary educational, scientific, cultural, and educational volunteering. UNESCO’s World Heritage Site is one of the steps taken to achieve the organization’s goals of peace.

The UNESCO World Heritage List is a collection of cultural or natural sites that are registered by a special committee. The works in this list belong to all human beings and in addition to the host country, the works of all countries are responsible for the preservation and maintenance of that work.

Iran’s Registered Sites in the UNESCO World Heritage 

At present, Iran has registered 24 sites on the UNESCO World Heritage List. This process began in 1979. The works listed are divided into two categories: UNESCO’s cultural heritage and UNESCO’s natural monuments. Each country can annually nominate one of its cultural or natural monuments to the candidate for registration in this list.

 Ziggurat

• Province: Khuzestan
• Year of registration: 1997
• Registration number: 113
• Type of work: Cultural Heritage

Ziggurat is Iran’s first UNESCO World Heritage Site. This work dates back to the Elamite period and about 1250 BC. ziggurat is an ancient shrine located in Khuzestan province. Archaeologists refer to Ziggurat as the first religious building in Iran.

This shrine was built near the ancient city of Susa and was one of the largest and most magnificent structures of its time.

Persepolis

• Province: Fars
• Year of registration: 1979
• Registration number: 114
• Type of work: Cultural Heritage

Persepolis and, Parseh are the names of the glorious capital of the Achaemenids, which is located in Fars province. This building was built by Darius I and after him, other kings added to its buildings and expanded it.

Many archaeologists know about the Achaemenid rule because of the inscriptions and reliefs on the wall of Persepolis. This glorious capital has finally been set on fire by Alexander the Great, and many of its remnants have been destroyed.

Naghsh-E- Jahan Square

• Province: Isfahan
• Year of registration: 1979
• Registration Number: 115
• Type of work: Cultural Heritage

Naghsh-e- Jahan Square is a square in Isfahan that was built during the Safavid period, and the buildings and mosques inside it were built during the Safavid period, especially during the reign of Shah Abbas Safavid. The works in this collection include Imam Mosque, Sheikh Lotfollah Mosque, Ali Qapoo, and Qaisaria Gate.

The area around the buildings is surrounded by about two hundred two-story rooms.  Today, these rooms are mostly used for selling handicrafts. The work was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1979.

Solomon’s Throne

• Province: West Azerbaijan
• Year of registration: 2003
• Registration Number: 1077
• Type of work: Cultural Heritage

Takht-e Soleiman is a historical monument in the province of West Azerbaijan. The history of its construction dates back to the Parthian period. The place was the capital of the Ashkanids and later became religiously used.

The building is built next to a natural lake. It is said that the building was destroyed by the Roman emperor Heraclius during the invasion of Iran.

Bam Citadel

• Province: Kerman
• Year of registration: 2004
• Registration number: 1208
• Type of work: Cultural Heritage

Bam Citadel in Kerman province is the largest brick building in the world that attracts many visitors every year. Due to the earthquake, this monument was included in the list of endangered UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

List of registered works The return of this brickwork in 2004 with the number 1208.

Pasargad

• Province: Fars
• Year of registration: 2004
• Registration Number: 1106
• Type of work: Cultural Heritage

This collection includes the remnants of the Achaemenid period in Parsargad city of Fars province.

The complex includes the tomb of Cyrus the Great, the ancient Garden of Pasargadae, the Palace of Gates, the tomb of Cambyses, the two palaces, the water features, the Mozaffari Caravanserai, the General Bar Palace, the private palace, the defensive fortifications of Tel Takht and the holy site.

Soltanieh Dome

• Province: Zanjan
• Year of registration: 2005
• Registration Number: 1188
• Type of work: Cultural Heritage

The dome of Soltanieh is the tomb of Sultan Mohammad Khoda Bandeh (Al-Jaito), the patriarchal king, which was originally built by his own order to transfer the tomb of Imam Ali and Imam Hussein, but after construction, it was canceled due to a dream he had.

This building is very magnificent and large in terms of architecture and dimensions. The general building is an octagon with eight minarets on its sides. The dome is made of turquoise stones. This building is located in the east of the current city of Zanjan.

Biston Stone

• Province: Kermanshah
• Year of registration: 2006
• Registration number: 122
• Type of work: Cultural Heritage

Biston inscription is the largest inscription in the world, made by order of Darius I. This inscription describes the victory of Darius I over the rebels.

This work is the most important document and works left by the Achaemenids. This stone inscription has been carved from the ridge on the slopes of Biston Mountain in Kermanshah province and is historically one of the most important historical documents in the world.

Collection of Armenian works in Iran

• Province: East Azerbaijan and West Azerbaijan
• Year of registration: 2008
• Registration number: 1262
• Type of work: Cultural Heritage

Includes three churches; Qarah Church, St. Stephen’s Church, and Zour Zour Church

The collection of Armenian works of Iran includes three churches in the provinces of West Azerbaijan and East Azerbaijan, including the Qarah Church or the Church of St.

Thaddeus in the Chaldoran region of West Azerbaijan Province, the Church of St. Stephen is 17 km from the city of Julfa in East Azerbaijan.

The third church is known as Zour Zour, which is originally called the Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary, located in the province of West Azerbaijan, 12 km northwest of the church in the city of Mako. These churches were built between the seventh and fourteenth centuries AD and have been rebuilt several times.

Shushtar Water Structures

• Province: Khuzestan
• Year of registration: 2009
• Registration Number: 1315
• Type of work: Cultural Heritage

Shushtar water structures are a collection of stairs, waterfalls, canals, mills, dams, and large tunnels to guide water and use water power for industrial use.

These structures were built during the Achaemenid and especially the Sassanid periods. This collection is mentioned in travelogues as the largest industrial area before the Industrial Revolution.

This complex is located in Khuzestan province, Shushtar city, Absharha square.

For more information Contact us

Follow us on Instagram