The UNESCO World Heritage Sites of Iran
A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a landmark or area recognised by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation for having “outstanding universal value” to humanity. These sites, selected for exceptional natural or cultural significance, receive international protection, prestige and potential funding to ensure their preservation for future generations. Iran is home to 29 […]
Chehel Sotoon Palace
Chehel Sotoon Palace📍Esfahan⛏️17th century, the Safavids One of the finest examples of Safavid (1501-1736) art and architecture, Chehel Sotoon is a timeless marvel of Iranian history. Commissioned by Shah Abbas the Great (1587–1629) and completed under Shah Abbas II (1642–1666), this pavilion and garden complex served as a royal setting for entertaining dignitaries and receiving […]
Shush, Khuzestan Province
Susa 📍 Shush, Khuzestan Province ⛏ 4395-4200 BC One of the region’s oldest-known settlements, Susa has been continuously inhabited for more than 6,000 years: Susa I (4200-3800 BC): Nearly 2,000 geometrically decorated pots and 40 copper axes discovered at the site, reflect societal advancement. Susa II (3800-3100 BC): Expansion from small settlement to planned commercial […]
Falak-ol-Aflak Castle
Falak-ol-Aflak Castle📍 Khorramabad, Lorestan province⛏ 224-651 AD, the Sassanians Dating back 1,800 years, the Falak-ol-Aflak Castle is a remarkable testament to ancient Iranian architecture. Covering a total area of 3500 sq. metres and featuring twelve towers, this immense fortress is situated on a large hill in Khorramabad, the capital of Lorestan province. Constructed during the […]
Treasures From The Golestan Film Studios
The Iran Heritage Foundation is delighted to announce the forthcoming release of Treasures from the Golestan Film Studio, a landmark box set showcasing the pioneering work of filmmaker, writer and cultural figure Ebrahim Golestan. At its heart is Secrets of the Jinn Valley Treasure (1974), Golestan’s brilliantly inventive and sharply satirical masterpiece, newly restored in […]
Glazed Bricks from Western Iran
An article in The Art Newspaper for September concerns a collection of 51 glazed polychrome bricks from the Mannaean site of Qalaichi near Bukan in Western Iran that have recently been returned to Iran from Switzerland. They were looted in the 1980s and taken to a bonded warehouse in Switzerland where they were seen in 1991 […]
The High Price of Luxury Trade in the Parthian and Sasanian Periods
In the last decades of the 2nd century BC, envoys from the Han dynasty of China were met on the banks of the Oxus River (modern Amu Darya) by an escort of Parthian cavalry. The Chinese historian Sima Qian (c. 145–86 BC) reported that “twenty thousand horsemen” were sent by the Parthian king to accompany […]