Blog / Iran Attractions / Top Iran’s Historical-Cultural Sites as UNESCO World Heritages

Top Iran’s Historical-Cultural Sites as UNESCO World Heritages

To be inscribed on the World Heritage List, places should have outstanding universal value and meet at least one of the ten criteria explained in the Operational Guidelines for the Implementation of the World Heritage Convention. What follows is a list of top cultural sites in Iran registered by UNESCO as World Heritages:

 

  • Emam Square, Esfahan (1979)

Formerly known as Naghsh-e Jahan (“Image of the World”), and later as Meidan-e Shah, Emam Square is located in the center of Isfahan. This square is one of the largest city squares in the world and an outstanding example of Iranian and Islamic architecture. Built by the Safavid Shah Abbas I in the early 17th century, the square is bordered - by on all sides - by monumental buildings and a series of two-storeyed arcades. These four magnificent buildings include the Sheikh Lotfallah Mosque, the pavilion of Ali Qapu, the portico of Qeyssariyeh, and the celebrated Royal (Shah) Mosque.

 

 

 

Founded by Darius I in 518 B.C., Persepolis was the capital of the Achaemenid Empire. It was built on an immense half-artificial, half-natural terrace, where the king of kings created an impressive palace complex inspired by Mesopotamian models. The importance and quality of the monumental ruins make it a unique archaeological site. They are authentic in terms of their locations and setting, materials and substance, and forms and design.

 

 

 

  • Tchogha Zanbil Ziggurat (1979)

A ziggurat is a stepped pyramidal structure with a temple or shrine on top and is functioned symbolically as a bridge between earth and the heavens. Located in ancient Elam (today Khuzestan province in southwest Iran), Tchogha Zanbil was founded by an Elamite king (1275-1240 B.C) as the religious center of Elam. Tchogha Zanbil is the largest ziggurat outside of Mesopotamia and the best preserved of this type of stepped pyramidal monument. This archaeological site is an exceptional expression of the culture, beliefs, and ritual traditions of one of the oldest indigenous peoples of Iran.

 

 

 

  • Takht-e Soleyman (2003)

The archaeological ensemble called Takht-e Soleyman (“Throne of Solomon”) is situated on a plain surrounded by mountains in northwestern Iran’s West Azerbaijan province. The site includes the principal Zoroastrian sanctuary partly rebuilt in the Ilkhanid period (13th century) as well as a temple of the Sasanian period (6th and 7th centuries) dedicated to Anahita. The site has important symbolic significance. The designs of the fire temple, the palace and the general layout have strongly influenced the development of Islamic architecture.

 

 

 

  • Pasargad (2004)

Founded in the 6th century B.C in the heartland of the Persians (today the province of Fars in southwestern Iran), Pasargad was the earliest capital of the Achaemenid Empire. The city was created by Cyrus the Great. The archaeological remains of its palaces and garden layout as well as the tomb of Cyrus, constitute an outstanding example of the first phase of the evolution of royal Achaemenid art and architecture, and an exceptional testimony to the Achaemenid civilization in Persia.

 

 

 

  • Bam and its Cultural Landscape in Kerman (2004)

The property of Bam and its Cultural Landscape is located in Kerman Province. The origins of Bam can be traced back to the Achaemenid period (6th to 4th centuries BC). Its heyday was from the 7th to 11th centuries, being at the crossroads of important trade routes and known for the production of silk and cotton garments. The existence of life in the oasis was based on the underground irrigation canals, the qanāts, of which Bam has preserved some of the earliest evidence in Iran. Arg-e Bam is the most representative example of a fortified medieval town built in vernacular technique using mud layers (Chineh).

 

 

 

  • Soltaniyeh Dome (2005)

In north-western Iran’s city of Soltaniyeh, which was briefly the capital of Persia’s Ilkhanid Dynasty during the 14th century, stands the Mausoleum of Oljaytu with a stunning dome covered with turquoise-blue faience tiles. Constructed in 1302-12, the tomb of the eighth Ilkhanid ruler is an octagonal building, crowned with a 50 meter tall dome and surrounded by eight slender minarets. This mausoleum is recognized as the architectural masterpiece of its period and an outstanding achievement in the development of Persian architecture, particularly in its innovative double-shelled dome and interior decoration.

 

 

 

  • Bisotun (2006)

Bisotun is located along the ancient trade route linking the Iranian high plateau with Mesopotamia and features remains from the prehistoric times to the Median, Achaemenid, Sassanian, and Ilkhanid periods. The principal monument of this archaeological site is the bas-relief and cuneiform inscription ordered by Darius I in 521 B.C. The inscription is illustrated by a life-sized bas-relief of its creator and other figures and also, has three versions of the same text written in three different languages. These texts were the first cuneiform writings to be deciphered in the 19th century.

 

 

 

  • Armenian Monastic Ensembles of Iran (2008)

The Armenian Monastic Ensembles of Iran, located in in the north-west of the country, consists of three monastic ensembles of the Armenian Christian faith: St. Thaddeus and St. Stepanos and the Chapel of Dzordzor.  These edifices were established during a period between the 7th and 14th centuries or otherwise known as Medieval Persia and are examples of outstanding universal value of the Armenian architectural and decorative traditions. They bear testimony to very important interchanges with the other regional cultures, in particular the Byzantine, Orthodox and Persian.

 

 

 

  • Golestan Palace (2013)

The lavish Golestan Palace is a masterpiece of the Qajar era, embodying the successful integration of earlier Persian crafts and architecture with Western influences. The Palace, one of the oldest groups of buildings in Tehran, became the seat of government of the Qajar family, which came into power in 1779. Built around a garden featuring pools as well as planted areas, the Palace’s most characteristic features and rich ornaments date from the 19th century. It became a center for Qajari arts and architecture of which it is an outstanding example and has remained a source of inspiration for Iranian artists and architects to this day.

 

 


 

References:

whc.unesco.org

www.irantravelingcenter.com

en.wikipedia.org

www.toptenteh.com

 

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