TEHRAN -- Noruz and the titles and items of the radifs in Iranian music have been registered on UNESCO’s List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

The decision to add Noruz and the radifs to the list was made on Wednesday during a meeting of UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Heritage, which is underway in Abu Dhabi, Iran’s Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts Organization announced in a press release.
Noruz, the ancient celebration of the Iranian New Year, beginning on the first day of spring, had been proposed for registration by Iran, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkey, and Kyrgyzstan.
The radifs are the total collection of more than 200 gushehs -- traditional melodic entities -- in all 12 dastgahs.
The meeting of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Heritage began on September 28 and runs until October 2.
Photo: A Noruz “Haft Seen” spread, which includes seven items that begin with the Persian letter “seen”, which is pronounced in the same way as “s” in English. This “Haft Seen” spread features sib (apple), samanu (a sweet pudding made from wheat seedlings), seer (garlic), sekkeh (coins), sumac (a spice), serkeh (vinegar), and sabzeh (green sprouted seeds).