UNESCO

Armenian Monastic ensembles: West Azerbaijan province – 2008

The Armenian Monastic Ensembles of Iran, located in the West and East Azerbaijan provinces in Iran, is an ensemble of three Armenian churches that were established during the period between the 7th and 14th centuries A.D. The edifices are: St. Thaddeus Monastery, the Saint Stepanos Monastery, and the Chapel of Dzordzor. These sites were inscribed as cultural heritages on 2008.

Bam and its cultural landscape: Kerman province – 2004

The Arg-e Bam is the largest adobe building in the world, located in Bam, a city in Kerman Province of southeastern Iran. It is listed by UNESCO on 2004. The origin of this enormous citadel on the Silk Road can be traced back to the Achaemenid Empire and even beyond.

Bisotoun: Kermanshah province – 2006

The Behistun Inscription is a multilingual inscription and large rock relief on a cliff at Mount Behistun in the Kermanshah Province of Iran, established by Darius the Great (r. 522–486 BC). It was written in three different cuneiform script languages: Old Persian, Elamite, and Babylonian (a variety of Akkadian), and was inscribed on 2006.

Cultural landscape of Maymand village: Kerman province – 2015

Meymand is a very ancient village, and is located near of Shahr-e Babak , Kerman Province, Iran. Meymand is believed to be a primary human residence in the Iranian Plateau, dating back to 12,000 years ago, and was inscribed on 2015. Many of the residents live in the 350 hand-dug houses amid the rocks, some of which have been inhabited for as long as 3,000 years…

Caspian Hyrcanian mixed forests: Golestan, Mazandaran and Gilan provinces – 2019

The Caspian Hyrcanian Mixed Forests ecoregion, in the temperate broadleaf and mixed forests biome, is an area of lush lowland and montane forests covering about 55,000 square kilometers, near the southern shores of the Caspian sea of Iran and Azerbaijan. The forest is named after the ancient region of Hyrcania. The Hyrcanian Forests were inscribed on 2019 as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Ensemble of historical Sassanian cities (Bishapour, Firouzabad, Sarvestan): Fars province – 2018

Three Sassanian cities of Bishapour, Firouzabad and Sarvestan were the ancient cities in Sassanin Persia on Fars Province, Iran. They were inscribed as cultural Heritage on 2018.

Gonbad-e Qabous: Golestan province – 2012

Gonbad-e Qabous is a monument in Gonbad-e Qabous city, Iran, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2012. It is a cylindrical tomb tower that reaches 61 meters. Considered to be a masterpiece of Iranian architecture, it achieves an “almost perfect balance between a purpose (princely glory beyond death), a form (cylindrical tower transformed into a star), and a single material (brick)”.

Golestan Palace: Tehran – 2013

The Golestan Palace is the royal Qajar complex in Iran’s capital city, Tehran. One of the oldest historic monuments in the city of Tehran, and of world heritage status on 2013, Golestan Palace belongs to a group of royal buildings that were once enclosed within the mud-thatched walls of Tehran’s “citadel”.

Historic City of Yazd: Yazd – 2017

Yazd is the capital of Yazd Province, Iran. Since 2017, the historical city of Yazd is recognized as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Because of generations of adaptations to its desert surroundings, Yazd has a unique Persian architecture. It is nicknamed the “City of Windcatchers”.

Jame Mosque of Isfahan: Isfahan – 2012

The Jāmeh Mosque of Isfahan, also known as the Atiq Mosque and the Friday Mosque, was the grand, congregational mosque of Isfahan city. The mosque was the result of continual construction, reconstruction, additions and renovations on the site. It has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2012.

Lut desert: Kerman & Sistan-o Baluchestan provinces – 2016

The Lut Desert, is a large salt desert located in the provinces of Kerman and Sistan and Baluchestan, Iran. It is the world’s 25th-largest desert, and was included on UNESCO’s List on 2016. The surface of its sand has been measured at temperatures as high as 70 °C, making it one of the world’s driest and hottest places.

Naqsh-e Jahan square: Isfahan – 1979

Naqsh-e Jahan Square: “Image of the World Square”, also known as Shah Square  or Imam Square, is a square situated at the center of Isfahan, Iran. It is now an important historical site, and one of UNESCO World Heritage Sites (on 1979). The square is surrounded by buildings as: the Shah Mosque , Ali Qapu Palace, Sheikh Lotf Allah Mosque and Qeysarie Gate opens into the Isfahan Grand Bazaar.

Pasargadae: Fars province – 2004

Pasargadae was the capital of the Achaemenid Empire under Cyrus the Great, who ordered its construction. Today it is an archaeological site and one of Iran’s UNESCO World Heritage Sites on 2004. A limestone tomb there is believed to be that of Cyrus the Great.

Persepolis: Fars province – 1979

Persepolis was the ceremonial capital of the Achaemenid Empire. It is situated 60 kilometers northeast of the city of Shiraz in Fars Province, Iran. The earliest remains of Persepolis date back to 515 BC. It exemplifies the Achaemenid style of architecture. UNESCO declared the ruins of Persepolis a World Heritage Site in 1979.

Persian Qanat: Khorasan, Yazd, Kerman, Markazi and Isfahan provinces – 2016

A Qanat or Kariz is a gently sloping underground channel to transport water from an aquifer or water well to the surface for irrigation and drinking, acting as an underground aqueduct. This is an ancient system of water supply from a deep well, that makes use of a series of vertical access shafts. Persian Qanats were inscribed as cultural heritages on 2016.

Shahr-e Sukhteh: Sistan-o Baluchestan province – 2014

Shahr-e Sukhteh is an archaeological site of a sizable Bronze Age urban settlement, associated with the Jiroft culture. It is located in Sistan and Baluchistan Province. It was placed on the UNESCO World Heritage List on 2014.  It has been speculated that Shahr-e-Sukhteh might ultimately provide concrete evidence of a civilization east of prehistoric Persia that was independent of ancient Mesopotamia.

Sheikh Safi al-din Khanegah and Shrine: Ardabil province – 2010

Sheikh Safi al-Din Khanegah and Shrine Ensemble is the tomb of Sheikh Safi-ad-din Ardabili located in Ardabil, Iran. In 2010, it was registered on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Shushtar historical Hydraulic system: Khuzestan province – 2009

Shushtar Hydraulic System is a complex irrigation system of the island city Shushtar from the Sassanid era.
Located in Iran’s Khuzestan Province, it was registered on UNESCO’s list of World Heritage Sites in 2009. Parts of the irrigation system are said to originally date to the time of Darius the Great, an Achaemenian king of Iran.

Soltaniyeh: Zanjan province – 2005

Soltaniyeh in northwestern Iran, was registered on UNESCO listed Soltaniyeh on 2005, as one of the World Heritage Sites.  Soltaniyeh was built as the capital of Mongol Ilkhanid rulers of Iran in the 14th century.

Susa: Khuzestan province – 2015

Susa was an ancient city in the lower Zagros Mountains about 250 km, between the Karkheh and Dez Rivers. One of the most important cities of the Ancient Near East, Susa served as the capital of Elam and the Achaemenid Empire, and remained a strategic center during the Parthian and Sasanian periods. Susa was inscribed as cultural heritages on 2008.

Tabriz historic Bazaar complex: East Azerbaijan province – 2010

The Bazaar of Tabriz is a historical market situated in the city center of Tabriz, Iran. It is one of the oldest bazaars in the Middle East and the largest covered bazaar in the world. It is was listed on UNESCO World Heritage Sites on 2010. This historic bazaar complex is one of the most important commercial centers on the Silk Road.

Takht-e Soleyman: West Azerbaijan province – 2003

Takht-e Soleyman is an archaeological site in West Azarbaijan, Iran from Sasanian Empire. The fortified site, which is located on a hill created by the outflow of a calcium-rich spring pond, was recognized as a World Heritage Site in 2003. The citadel includes the remains of a Zoroastrian fire temple built during the Sassanid period and partially rebuilt (as a mosque) during the Ilkhanid period.

Tchogha Zanbil: Khuzestan province – 1979

Tchogha Zanbil is an ancient Elamite complex in the Khuzestan province of Iran. It is one of the few existing ziggurats outside Mesopotamia. It lies approximately 30 km southeast of Susa. It was built about 1250 BC by the king Untash-Napirisha, mainly to honor the great god Inshushinak. It was registered on 1979.