The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has accepted a request by the Afghan government to include the western city of Herat among world cultural heritage sites.
According to the ECO Cultural Institute, the city of Herat, with many historical sites and heritages, especially from the Islamic period, has always been one of the main destinations for foreign tourists in Afghanistan.
Over the past two decades, renovation work has been done on a series of sites in Herat with the help of the Aga Khan Foundation. There are several prominent sites in the city, including the shrine of saint Khawja Abdullah Ansari, also known as Qal'ah-i Ikhtiyaruddin fort.
“We will profile all of the cultural heritage in Herat city, we hope to share this information with UNESCO in the next three to four months,” said Tahir Zaheer, acting minister of information and culture.
“We are very happy that the activities that were carried out by the Aga Khan Foundation in recent years paved the way for Herat to be registered among the world heritage list,” said Arash Bostani, the head of Aga Khan cultural foundation.
The recognition of Herat city by UNESCO will further add to the cultural importance of the city.