The UNESCO World Heritage Committee has added Iran’s historical caravanserais to its prestigious world heritage list.
On Sunday, the 45th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, carefully examined and selected 54 historical caravanserais located in 24 provinces across Iran and inscribed them on its world heritage list. With the decision, the Iranian caravanserais, carefully selected from among hundreds, officially became the country’s 27th tangible cultural heritage item to be globally registered.
“Caravanserais were roadside inns, providing shelter, food and water for caravans, pilgrims and other travelers. The routes and the locations of the caravanserais were determined by the presence of water, geographical conditions and security concerns,” the UNESCO World Heritage Committee says on its website.The listed caravanserais “are considered to be the most influential and valuable examples of the caravanserais of Iran, revealing a wide range of architectural styles, adaptation to climatic conditions, and construction materials, spread across thousands of kilometers and built over many centuries,” it added.
In addition to the inclusion of caravanserais, the session also reviewed and subsequently inscribed the Dizmar Protected Area, the mountainous Hyrcanian forests in northwestern Iran, on the UNESCO World Heritage List.