UNESCO Sites

There are a lot of Iranian historic sites registered in UNESCO’s list of World Heritage. Here you get familiar with those which have been registered in the UNESCO so far. Of course, Iran is an ancient country that can potentially offer plenty of more historic sites and tourist attractions to its visitors.

Iran’s Historical Sites in the UNESCO List

This list gets updated as UNESCO approves the documentations offered by the Iranian delegation  to the UN. Here’s the list of UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites in Iran up to this date:

Tchogha Zabnil:

This Elamite temple is a ziggurat-shaped structure built under the kingdom of Elam, c. 1250 B.C.

It is surrounded by three huge walls and can be seen from a long distance.

Millions of bricks have been used in the construction of this temple. Some of them are engraved in cuneiform writing  …   more

 

Persepolis:

This historic site is a ceremonial palace compound and the most famous and popular site in Iran. It is the palace complex built under Darius the Great in 518 B.C.

There used to be 29 nations sending delegation there to the Persian emperors paying respect and meeting on certain occasions

A series of ancient palaces …  more

 

Meidan-e-Naghshe Jahan :

This tourist attraction and historic site is a huge square with monuments on all its four sides along the two-storeyed arcades in Esfehan.

What makes this site a top tourist attraction is the ultimately grand examples of Iranian architecture.

Two mosques, a palace and a bazaar are making a breath-taking …  more

 

Takht-e-Soleyman:

This exclusive historic site is an archaeological site in the mountains that has witnessed life in a large span of time.

You can find various structures from pre-Islam to post-Islam eras here like fire temple, Anahita temple, and many more.

This is a unique compound …  more

 

Pasargadae:

This is the capital city of the first dynastic Persian Empire, Achaemenians in ancient Iran.

Pasargadae is also the first example of Achaemenians’ palace compounds and the first examples of Persian garden planning in Iranian history.

The tomb of Cyrus the great is here …  more

 

Bam:

This is an ancient walled city originally built under Achaemenians and has been a tourist attraction and historic site despite all the natural devastation cases, earthquakes.

Kariz underground water supplement system made life possible in this oasis. Life was going on here more than 2000 … more

 

Soltaniyeh:

This tourist attraction and historic site is the capital of the Ilkhanid dynasty where the mausoleum of Oljaytu is located.

This masterpiece of architecture is a unique example of Iranians’ precision in mathematics and calculation in engineering.

It is also a perfect example of Ilkhanid structure embellishment and calligraphy … more

 

Bisotun:

This is the largest inscription of the world consisting of 1119 lines of cuneiform in three languages and situated in a very well-known spot.

The rock relieves depict Darius the Great after an initial endeavor to arrest the rebels who had introduced themselves falsely as sons of Cyrus the Great.

This huge inscription is in Cuneiform …   more

 

Shushtar Waterfalls:

These waterfalls are the masterpieces of engineering at the time of ancient Iranians.

The entire collection includes waterfalls, dams, bridges, basins, mills, etc. The waterfalls are planned and dug into the rocks on the new course of water chosen by the ancient engineers.

For more than 1600 years, these mills …  more

 

Armenian Monastic Ensembles:

There are three monastic ensembles of the Armenian Christians living in the North West of present day Iran:

St Thaddeus, St Stepanos, and the Chapel of Dzordzor.

The oldest structure among these three dates back to the 7th century and …  more

 

Tabriz Historic Bazaar Complex:

Tabriz bazaar is an ancient compound of roofed brick-made passageways, structures, buildings and enclosed spaces used for a series of various functions.

It has always played major roles in developing social, economical and political developments in Iran. It still plays a major role  … more

 

Sheikh Safi al-din Khānegāh and Shrine Ensemble :

Built between 16th and 18th century, during Safavid rulers in Iran, it consists of various buildings for different functions like khaneqah (gathering structure of sufis), a school, library, mausolea, a mosque, a cistern, a hospital, kitchens, a bakery, and some offices.

It gained political and national importance when Safavid … more

 

The Persian Garden:

The tradition of developing and creating Persian gardens goes back to the time of Cyrus the Great, 6th century BC.

The feature elements of Persian gardens include beautiful buildings, pavilions and walls, and also some sophisticated irrigation systems inherited from ancient Persians …  more

Masjed-e Jāmé of Isfahan:

This Friday mosque represents the evolution of mosque building since early post-Islam era in Iran beginning in 9th century.

Over time, different corners of the mosque have been constructed in different styles of their own times. This is the first Islamic building that has inherited Sasanian … more

Gonbad-e Qābus:

This fantastic example of tomb tower building in Iran date back to 1006, when Ziyarid were ruling in Iran. It was built out of unglazed fired bricks at a corner of the ancient city of Jorjan nothing of which has remained except for this structure.

The 53-meter high sacral tower has escaped Mongols’ … more

 

Golestan Palace:

Golestan palace compound is a fantastic palace compound remaining from Qajar era, late 18th century, when they declared Tehran as capital. A series of palaces were built under Qajars here, which were also later used by Pahlavi dynasty.

Golestan Palaces are in central Tehran and present … more

 

Shahr-I Sokhta:

The remains of this mud brick city called hahr-e-Sukhteh (Burned City) is the first example of a series of complex societies in eastern Iran.

It is a sizable archaeological site of the Bronze Age urban settlement, which is clearly associated with the Jiroft culture … more