All About World Heritage Sites
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Since it was established in May 1979, the Tehran Times has put the priority on covering top stories about Iran’s history, cultural heritage, tourism, folk traditions, festivals and arts as well as notifying potential threats in these realms in line with its main mission to air the voice of the Islamic Revolution.
Source: Iran’s first UNESCO sites registered when the daily was born
Build some 2,500 years ago by the Achaemenid Empire, Persepolis is one of the unique historical sites in Iran and in the world. The site has been inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage since 1979. These photos, recently taken from the ancient city in Fars province, is being released on the occasion of World Heritage Day on April 18.
Iran is a beautiful destination that offers a wide variety of historic sites, delicious foods, and unique activities. It also offers beautiful countryside and captivating mountains.
Source: What to Do and What to Visit in Iran | Iran Front Page
While Australia fights to save its cultural assets after bushfires, the USA threatens to destroy cultural sites across Iran.
Images of clouds of thick black smoke and dust billowing up above where an ancient monument once stood shocked the world less than five years ago when a 2,000-year-old temple was shelled by Islamic State in Syria.
International law experts react to Donald Trump’s threat to attack Iranian cultural sites.
Source: More than bricks: How international law protects cultural sites
Be careful of the company you keep. In a threat delivered over Twitter on …
Source: Trump’s Twitter threat to destroy Iran’s cultural sites was a historic mistake
The Victoria and Albert Museum in London, the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, the American Alliance of Museums, and a renowned Polish archeologist have condemned U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent statements on threating to target Iranian cultural sites.
Source: Intl. museums, archeologist condemn Trump’s threat to hit Iranian cultural sites
US President Trump has defended his threat to target Iranian cultural sites saying they are fair game.
Source: Trump defends his threat to target Iranian cultural sites
Experiencing totality is an other-worldly experience, and it only happens on average once every 18 months somewhere on Earth. Here’s when to plan a trip to see nature’s grandest spectacle.
Source: Need To See Another Total Solar Eclipse? Here’s When, Where And How To See One In The Next 20 Years
Earlier this month, US President Donald Trump imposed what he called the “toughest ever” sanctions against Iran. They target the country’s oil and banking, among other sectors. Iranians are already feeling the effects of these measures.
Source: Trump sanctions hurt everyday life in Iran | NHK WORLD-JAPAN News
The Persian Empire is the name given to a series of dynasties centered in modern-day Iran that spanned several centuries—from the sixth century B.C. to the twentieth century A.D. The first Persian Empire, founded by Cyrus the Great around 550 B.C., became one of the largest empires in history, stretching from Europe’s Balkan Peninsula in the West to India’s Indus Valley in the East. This Iron Age dynasty, sometimes called the Achaemenid Empire, was a global hub of culture, religion, science, art and technology for more than 200 years before it fell to the invading armies of Alexander the Great.
CYRUS THE GREAT
The Persian Empire started as a collection of semi-nomadic tribes who raised sheep, goats and cattle on the Iranian plateau.
Cyrus the Great—the leader of one such tribe—began to defeat nearby kingdoms, including Media, Lydia and Babylon, joining them under one rule. He founded the first Persian Empire, also known as the Achaemenid Empire in 550 B.C.
The first Persian Empire under Cyrus the Great soon became the world’s first superpower.
Read more from source: Persian Empire – Facts & Summary – HISTORY.com
With more than 10,000 religious shrines dotting Iran to mark where descendants of Shi’ite Islam’s most revered imams are said to have been buried, many of them go unnoticed.
But one of these so-called imamzadeh sanctums recently caught the eye of a passerby who, in a video, questioned its proximity to a globally recognized legacy of Iran’s pre-Islamic past, the ruins of Persepolis.
His video and the resulting debate highlighted the pride that Iranians take in their culture’s ancient past and apparent distrust of a clerical and political establishment that some accuse of highlighting the Islamic era at the expense of Iran’s pre-Islamic history.
The clip shows the shrine, known as Imamzadeh Ebrahim, and suggests that it was built only recently.
“This is the beginning of the [Persepolis] road. As you can see, [authorities] have built an imamzadeh here in the past few days,” the man is heard saying in the video. “When we lived here, this wasn’t here; they’ve set it up recently.”
“I really don’t know what [authorities] think of us that they simply do such things. I hope that these measures end.”
Despite hosting amazing attractions ranging from spectacular natural landscapes to vibrant cities, these countries aren’t always on the radar of the average traveler.
Tourism has changed from being perceived as a national activity to becoming an international phenomenon with more people traveling far and wide to sample a region’s or country’s beauty. Most countries, including the poor ones, are capitalizing on their natural beauty and other attractions to generate more revenue and facilitate growth. Countries like France, the US, the UK, China, and Spain receive tens of millions of tourists annually. However, some countries with greater potential and attractions like Georgia, Iran, Lebanon, and Sri Lanka do not see as many visitors as they deserve. Here are some of the most underrated countries for tourist and why they are underrated.
10. Iran
More than 6 million people visited Iran in the year ending March 2017, up 50% on the previous year and three times the number in 2009, according to official data.
(CNN) — The surge in visitors follows the 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers that resulted in many sanctions being lifted early the following year.
European airlines such as British Airways and Lufthansa (DLAKY) resumed direct flights to the country, and Iranian authorities relaxed visa requirements. And as more people arrive, demand for accommodation is skyrocketing.
That’s creating opportunities for local entrepreneurs and foreign businesses.
Unlike some Western firms, who are reluctant to invest in Iran because they fear President Trump could yet torpedo the nuclear deal, international hotel chains are moving fast to meet the need for more rooms.
France’s Accor (ACCYY) was the first chain to open in Iran in 2015. It now operates two hotels there.
Iran aims to draw some 6.5 million foreign travelers by the end of the current calendar year 1396 (March 20, 2018), though the country’s tourism infrastructure and public services are in need to be improved, a senior tourism official said on Monday. In 1395, some 5.5 million travelers visited Iran, fetching about $8 billion for the country, IRNA reported.
“With proper planning and development of infrastructure, it is possible to meet our goals,” said Morteza Rahmani Movahhed, the deputy for tourism at the Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts Organization.
“However, it takes time to clean up international image of the county that for years have been tarnished by some Western outlets, the official added.
By this point, I think I have pretty well established that Shiraz is an undeniably beautiful city. However, two of the cities biggest attractions actually lie quite a few kilometres outside the city limits.
Naqsh-e Rustam (more commonly referred to as simply ‘Necropolis’) is an ancient necropolis located approximately 55km north-east of Shiraz.
At this site you’ll find four ancient tombs cut into the side of a rocky cliff-face. One of these tombs is clearly marked and was the resting place of Darius I. The other three tombs are less clearly marked, but are believed to have belonged to Xerxes I, Ataxerxes I and Darius II.
All four tombs were carved very high above the ground, and the entrance point for each tomb is at the centre of each cross.
Unfortunately, these tombs have long since been left empty.
Iran is home to 19 UNESCO-registered sites, including the ancient city of Bisotun and the ancient Persian capital of Persepolis.
Iranian plateau is replete with cultural heritage and historical monuments. These architectural remnants date back somewhere between an average 2000 years.
From the “Jiroft civilization” south of Iran, to the “Shahr-e Sukhteh” or the “Burnt City”, in the south east of the country,; to the “Choghazanbil” Zigurat, one of the rare few ziggurats or Step Pyramids, outside of Mesopotamian heartlands, all the way down to the magnificent Achaemenid palaces of Persepolis and regal tombs in Pasargade, near Shiraz, are all but a few examples of what the land of Persia has to offer, when it comes to ancient history.
Overall some 19 major archaeological sites in Iran have been globally registered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as World Heritage sites.
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