Farhad Nazari, head of the Registration Department at Iran Cultural Heritage, Handcraft and Tourism Organization, said on Thursday that the pair has already been shortlisted as Iran’s intangible cultural heritages, and they will be documented under the 2003 Convention and during the 12th session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, which will take place from December 4 to December 8 in the South Korean capital of Seoul.

Polo was invented and first played in Iran (or ancient Persia) thousands of years ago. The original name of polo is “Chogan” and in Iran the game is still referred to as “Chogan”. The first recorded game reportedly took place in 600 BC in ancient Persia.

The objective is to score goals against an opposing team. Players score by driving a small hard white ball into the opposing team’s goal using a long-handled wooden mallet.

The modern sport of polo is played on a grass field of 270 by 150 meters (300 by 160 yards). Each polo team consists of four riders and their polo ponies.

Arena polo has three players per team, and the game usually involves more maneuvering and shorter plays at lower speeds due to space limitations of arenas. Arena polo is played with a small air-filled ball, similar to a small football.

little bow

Iranian bowed string instrument of Kamancheh

Kamancheh, which means “little bow” in Persian, is used also in Armenian, Azerbaijani, Turkish, and Kurdish music. The strings are played with a variable-tension bow.

Well-known Iranian kamancheh players are Ali Asghar Bahari, Ardeshir Kamkar and Kayhan Kalhor.

The Turkish kemençe is a bowed string instrument with a very similar or identical name, but it differs significantly in structure and sound from the Persian kamancheh.

The post Polo registered as Iran’s intangible cultural heritages in UNESCO appeared first on IRAN This Way.

The site was inscribed on the world heritage list during the 41st session of UNSCO’s World Heritage Committee in Krakow, Poland, on Sunday, July 9, ifpnews.com wrote.

The historical structure of Yazd is a collection of public-religious architecture with a very large scope comprising of Islamic architectural elements extending over different periods of history in harmonious combination with climatic conditions.

Iran nominated Arasbaran Protected Zone in East Azarbaijan Province and the historical city of Yazd for 2017 UNESCO World Cultural Heritage listing.

Mohammad Hassan Talebian, the deputy head of Iran’s Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization, said earlier: “While Arasbaran Protected Zone is Iran’s second natural heritage site to be proposed for UNESCO registration, Yazd is the first city in Iran to be nominated for registration as a world heritage site.”

He pointed out, “Yazd is one of the most important desert cities of Iran. The city bears distinct signs of innovation and creativity, a majority of which were promoted between the 10th and 20th centuries CE.

“The old texture of Yazd is in a better shape than other historical cities of Iran.”

Yazd is Iran’s largest adobe city and its monuments boast high architectural values.

“The cultural outlook of Yazd is yet to be modernized and as a result the majority of the monuments including mosques, minarets, houses and cisterns perfectly mirror ancient Islamic-Iranian architecture,” he said.

The official said Yazd became a settlement with the establishment of cisterns.

“One can see diverse eco-friendly architectural styles in Yazd, as if the ancient habitats were aware of the principles of sustainable development. Ancient residents of the city tried to apply wind, soil, and water energies in a way not to damage the environment,” he said.

Yazd has been a manifestation of the brightest cultural heritage and ancient civilization throughout history with human settlement dating back to the third millennium BCE.

Tribes, who migrated from Balkh to Pars, called this land ‘Yazdan’ during the Pishdadi era. The most important early settlements in Yazd include Mehrpadin (Mehriz), Fahrashan or Pahreh (Fahraj), Khormish and Adar (Ardakan), Aqda and Eshkezar.

Yazd is the first adobe city in the world and is the second historical city after Venice, Italy.

Yazd is known as the city of wind towers. In fact, wind towers improve ventilation. They can be seen in residential units and ancient houses.

Yazd’s historical monuments include Yazd Jame’ Mosque, Seyyed Rokneddin Mausoleum, Amir Chaqmaq Complex, Lariha House, Alexander Prison, Narin Castle, Chak Temple and Water Museum.

In addition, 77 localities of Yazd known as ‘Yazd Historical Texture’ were registered as No. 15,000 on the National Heritage List in 2005.

Gharbal Biz (Mehriz), Tamehr (near Taft) and Masih (Harat) are among the important springs of Yazd.

The protected zones in Yazd are among the other attractions of the province.

Taft is the hub of pomegranate and silkworm in Yazd Province. Its pomegranates are exported. Peaches are also a famous agro product in Taft.

Also, Taft’s water has been well known throughout the history of the province. An alley in Yazd is known as ‘Ab-e Taft’, which indicates the vivacity of Taft.

Due to certain climatic and economic conditions as well as its remoteness, the inhabitants of Yazd have been involved in making handicrafts. Yazd handicrafts have attracted the attention of artisans and art-lovers across the country since olden times.

The post Yazd inscribed as UNESCO heritage site appeared first on IRAN This Way.

Iranian carpets are renowned for their quality and style around the world. They truly are works of art, and also of great labor, many of them taking years at the hands of the nimble and skilled.

Tabriz is home to one of the most beautiful and most popular kind of carpets in the world with an inclusive variety, giving it the title of “World Carpet City”.

The post Photo: Tabriz carpet bazar appeared first on IRAN This Way.

Due to the importance of the area in having a rich flora (about 1000 taxa) and fauna specially presence of rare species such as Lyurus mlokosiewiczi in 1971 was conserved and UNESCO was listed it as a wildlife refuge since 1976.

The post Photo: Beautiful autumn in Arasbaran forest appeared first on IRAN This Way.