UNESCO Adds Several More Ancient Sites in Iran to Its List

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has added eight ancient sites from Iran to its list in its latest session. With this addition, the number of registered cultural sites from Iran on UNESCO's list has reached 24. The 'Sasanian Cultural Landscape' is the latest cultural site registered from Iran, located in Fars Province. This ancient axis remains from the Sasanian era. The governor of Fars emphasized that with the registration of this axis, the number of globally registered historical sites in this province increased from four to 11. The previous four sites included Pasargadae, the remains of the Pasargadae gardens, Eram Garden, and Persepolis. The Sasanian Palace in Sarvestan, the fire temple and palace of Ardeshir, the Firuzabad complex including the ancient city of Gur, and the Sasanian period remains of Bishapur in Kazeroon, including the city of Bishapur, the reliefs of Tang Chogan, and Shapur Cave, are part of the 'Sasanian axis.' The Sasanian palace complex in Sarvestan is located 9 kilometers from Sarvestan and covers an area of 25 hectares. The palace was built during the reign of Bahram V, also known as Bahram Gur. It is said that Mehrnarseh, the minister of Bahram Gur, who was also a minister during the reigns of Yazdegerd I and Yazdegerd II, played a role in the construction of this palace. Firuzabad is approximately 100 kilometers from Shiraz. The history of this ancient city dates back to previous millennia, and the palace of Ardeshir Babakan, the reliefs of Ardeshir's victory over Ardavan V, the Qaleh Dokhtar, and other sites are among its tourist attractions. The city of Gur was built on the orders of Ardeshir Babakan in the early 3rd century AD. Bishapur is another city established during the Sasanian era, and today parts of it remain. Tang Chogan, near Bishapur, contains reliefs, such as the crown of Bahram I from Ahura Mazda. Shapur Cave, with a statue of Shapur at its entrance, is located at the end of this gorge. Other sites registered in the UNESCO session on July 9 include the Nokubi Church in Japan, remaining buildings from the Art Deco movement in Mumbai, the Al-Ahsa Oasis in Saudi Arabia, and Buddhist temples and monasteries in the southern mountains of South Korea.