Efforts to Register Darabgerd as a World Heritage Site

Mahr News Agency has reported that efforts have begun to register the world's longest 2500-year-old mud wall in the Guinness World Records. According to this report, officials emphasize that the file for this collection must also be prepared for global registration. Mahr News Agency writes that the mud wall of the city of Darabgerd, recognized as the longest and widest 2500-year-old wall in the world, is still not listed as a world heritage site. Experts say that this city not only has the potential to be registered in the UNESCO list but also that efforts are underway to register this wall in the Guinness World Records. The head of the Cultural Heritage Lovers Association of Fars states that although Darabgerd carries titles such as the first circular city of the Iranian plateau and the longest mud wall in the world, it has not yet been introduced on international and even national levels. The report continues by stating that the city of Darabgerd was built at the order of Darius I of the Achaemenid Empire and that life continued there until the 5th century AH. Access to this ancient city of Pars is relatively easier compared to other historical cities in the country, and a tourism route can also be defined for it. However, this historical site is still not included in travel packages for domestic and foreign tourists. The report from Mahr News Agency also indicates that the cultural heritage official of Darab County has stated that in order to maintain and protect this collection, 24-hour patrols are active around it, and the area has become unsafe for illegal excavators. Ali-Reza Parvizi added that one of the issues that is particularly on the agenda is pursuing funding for fencing around the city, which has not yet received special funding. Darabgerd is located six kilometers from the city of Darab and is considered one of the oldest cities in Iran. Its history dates back to the Achaemenid era. Various historical accounts, such as Tabari's History, state that Darabgerd was built at the order of Darab, a descendant of Esfandiar. In the Shahnameh of Ferdowsi, it is mentioned: 'When the wall of the city was brought forth, they named it Darabgerd.' Although French Iranologist Roman Ghirshman considered Darabgerd to be from the Parthian era. According to Hamdollah Mostofi, Darabgerd was near the pools, Ardeshir Khoreh, Shahpur Khoreh, and Qobad Khoreh (one of the five districts) or counties of the province of Pars in ancient Iran. Darabgerd is considered one of the first circular cities in Iran, with a massive wall made of clay, stone, and lime mortar, standing ten meters high around it. However, Mahr News Agency reports that parts of this wall have eroded, and its current height has decreased to seven meters. Nevertheless, the presence of a binding material in the mortar and clay in the wall has allowed it to remain standing and stable for over 2500 years.