The Iranian Caravanserai was registered in the 45th UNESCO World Heritage Committee as Iran’s 27th tangible cultural heritage in the UNESCO World List.
This file, registered in the UNESCO World Heritage List, includes 54 historical caravansaries in 24 provinces of the country, selected from among hundreds of historical caravanserais in our country. These caravanserais range from the Sassanid period to the end of the Qajar period.
These caravanserais range from the Sassanid period to the end of the Qajar period. These 54 caravanserais include Dergachin Qom, Noshiravan Isfahan, Parand (Stone Fort) Tehran, Robat Sharaf Khorasan Razavi, Sangi Anjireh Yazd, Jamalabad East Azerbaijan, Abbasabad Taybad Khorasan Razavi, Fakhre Davood Khorasan Razavi, Sheikh Ali Khan Isfahan, Maranjab Isfahan, Amin Abad Isfahan, Gabarabad. Kashan, Mahyar Isfahan, Gaz Isfahan, Koohpayeh Isfahan, Mazinan Khorasan Razavi, Izadkhasat Fars, Fakhrabad Khorasan Razavi, Sarayan South Khorasan, Qasr Bahram Semnan, Ahovan Semnan, Mayamey Semnan, Abbasabad Semnan, Miandasht Semnan, Zainuddin Yazd, Meybod Yazd, Farsfarj Hamadan, Khajeh Nazar West Azerbaijan, Dehdasht Kohgiluyeh and Boyar Ahmad, Bistun Kermanshah, Ganj Ali Khan Kerman, Guyijeh Bel East Azerbaijan, Khoy West Azarbaijan, Sayin Ardabil, Titi Gilan, Bagh Sheikh Markazi, Zaferanieh Khorasan Razavi, Mehr Khorasan Razavi, Yengeh Imam Alborz, Bastak Hormozgan, Borazjan Bushehr, Kharanaq Yazd, Ajori Anjire Yazd, Afzal Khuzestan, Neyestanak Isfahan, Chah Kooran Kerman, Chamshak Lorestan, Rashti Yazd, Taj Abad Hamedan, Deh Mohammad South Khorasan, Khan West Azarbaijan, Chehel Payeh South Khorasan, Saad al-Sultaneh Qazvin and Robat Qeli North Khorasan.
According to ISNA, in the 45th UNESCO World Heritage Committee, which is currently being held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the case of 56 historical caravanserais of Iran from 26 provinces was examined following the positive report of the representative of ICOMOS (World Heritage Convention) about the state of restoration and maintenance and value. The history of these caravanserais and the statements of the representatives of some countries including Oman, Nigeria, India, Mali, South Africa, Greece, Zambia, Qatar, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Saudi Arabia, Bulgaria and Russia in agreeing to this case, and after the removal of two Safavid caravanserais in Azerbaijan Sharqi and Isfahan and by making reforms in its parts and clauses, finally a total of 54 caravanserais were registered in the UNESCO World Heritage List. In the meantime, the representatives of some countries, including Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Belgium, and Japan, commented on removing two caravanserais from this case and the lack of historical compatibility of these caravanserais.
Rasoul Vatandoust, the representative of Iran’s cultural heritage present at the UNESCO meeting, explained that Iran has submitted the file of 56 caravanserais. In comparison, it has registered more than 700 caravanserais nationally. Iran has considered several criteria for selecting these 54 caravanserais, including architecture and historical periods, and it is ready to remove two caravanserais at the suggestion of ICOMUS and add them to this case in the future.
He also said that Iran is ready to continue cooperating with ICOMOS on managing, protecting, and maintaining these caravanserais, which was the subject of questions from representatives of some countries at the UNESCO meeting.
In the file, in UNESCO, related to Iran’s carvansarais, it is emphasized that carvansarais are one of the many critical forms of Iranian architecture that helped in the development of routes and meeting the needs and requirements of travelers.
These carvansarais have been selected after comparing the design and characteristics of 200 carvansarai, and as stated in the UNESCO file, none of them are a duplicate of another, so it is evident that the caravanserais are the result and product of the creativity and genius of Iranian architects throughout history.”
Also, Iranian caravanserais have been directly involved in social and cultural developments, so their influence can be seen in literature, poetry, painting, miniatures, music, and architecture.
In terms of comparison, the difference between Iranian caravanserais and several other caravanserais outside Iran is in their shape and plan, because other carvansarais are examples of primitive Iranian carvansarai.
The 45th UNESCO World Heritage Committee is being held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and 50 natural and historical heritage cases are being reviewed. Before this, the addition of Dizmar forest to the Hirkani Forest case was proposed by Iran in this UNESCO meeting, and at the suggestion of this cultural organization, it was decided that Iran presents Dizmar forest case to UNESCO together with the Arasbaran file. In addition to this case, the cultural landscape of Masuleh is on the agenda of this UNESCO meeting, which will be reviewed in the coming days.
Iran has so far registered 26 historical and natural monuments in UNESCO, including Choghazanbil, Takht Jamshid, Naqshe Jahan Square of Isfahan, Takht Suleiman, cultural landscape of Bam Citadel, Pasargad, Soltanieh Dome, Biston inscriptions, collection of Armenian monastic works, water structures Shushtar, Tabriz historical market, Sheikh Safiuddin Ardabili tomb, Irani garden, Isfahan Jameh Mosque, Qaboos Dome Tower, Golestan Palace, burnt city, Meimand cultural landscape, Shush, Iranian aqueduct, Lot plain, historical city of Yazd, Sasanian archaeological landscape of Fars region, The forests of Hirkani are the national railway of Iran and the cultural landscape of Oramanat. With the registration of the historical caravanserais of Iran, the number of Iran’s world cultural heritage reached 27.