TEHRAN – “O Iran”, a song that was the national anthem in the early years after the victory of the 1979 Islamic revolution, has been registered on the National Intangible Cultural Heritage list.

Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts Organization director Zahra Ahmadipur announced the news in a visit to ISNA on Monday.

Lyrics for the epic song were composed by Hossein Golegolab in 1944 and Ruhollah Khaleqi put it to music.

Shortly afterwards, the legendary vocalist Gholam-Hossein Banan performed it accompanied by a military band. 

The performance was warmly received by officials and some military figures of that time. As a result, the then culture minister called on the ensemble to record the song for Iran’s national radio.    

ABU/YAW