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Today 16:57
Moj Bafi, an ancient weaving tradition in heart of Zagros mountain range
TEHRAN - Deeply rooted in the traditional life of nomadic and rural communities in western Iran, Moj Bafi is a distinctive hand-weaving tradition that reflects the region’s pastoral economy, indigenous textile knowledge and artistic heritage.
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Today 16:56
Isfahan-Istanbul flights resume as city seeks wider air connectivity
TEHRAN - The resumption of direct flights between Isfahan and Istanbul could pave the way for expanding the Iranian city’s international air corridors and boosting tourism, according to a provincial tourism official.
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Today 16:51
Sistan-Baluchestan advances UNESCO bid for historic Asbads
TEHRAN – Iran’s Sistan-Baluchestan is stepping up efforts to secure UNESCO World Heritage status for its historic Asbads, with officials planning a dedicated task force to strengthen the nomination dossier and highlight the province’s rich historical and cultural heritage.
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Yesterday 16:39
Monitoring begins at centuries-old sites in UNESCO-listed city of Yazd
TEHRAN — Monitoring of centuries-old monuments in the UNESCO-listed Historic City of Yazd has begun as part of an ongoing effort to strengthen conservation and management of the Iranian oasis city, a local official has said.
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Yesterday 16:38
Isfahan heritage records undergo digital preservation
TEHRAN - Isfahan’s Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts Department has begun digitizing around 2,000 documents and records held by the province’s cultural heritage documentation center, an official said on Saturday.
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Yesterday 16:37
Restoration begins at historic Seb castle in central Iran
TEHRAN - Restoration work has begun on the historic Seb castle in Abarkuh county in Iran’s central Yazd province, a local cultural heritage official said on Saturday, as part of efforts to preserve the region’s traditional adobe architecture.
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2026-08-07 20:21
UNESCO-listed Soltaniyeh to undergo restoration
TEHRAN – Restoration work on the interior of the UNESCO-listed Soltaniyeh dome in northwestern Iran will begin soon after a contractor is selected in the coming days, a provincial cultural heritage official said.
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2026-08-07 20:16
Ancient Iranian wind towers inspire Italian designer for overheated cities
TEHRAN - An Italian designer is developing a concept for mobile wind towers inspired by Iran’s centuries-old wind catchers, locally named a Badgir, aiming to reduce urban heat by directing natural air flows into streets and public spaces affected by rising temperatures.
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2026-08-07 16:09
New reference work on Linear Elamite inscriptions published by international research team
TEHRAN – A comprehensive scholarly volume on Linear Elamite inscriptions and related cuneiform texts has recently been published, offering a detailed corpus and analysis of ancient Iranian writings from Susa and shedding new light on one of the earliest writing systems of the Iranian Plateau.
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2026-08-05 16:40
FM backs scientific conservation during visit to centuries-old cannon project
TEHRAN – Iranian Foreign Minister Seyyed Abbas Araghchi has stressed the importance of scientifically preserving the country's cultural heritage during a visit to the restoration workshop of the historic Pearl Cannon (Toop-e Morvarid), describing the protection of historical monuments as safeguarding Iran's identity, historical memory and civilizational legacy.
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2026-08-05 16:40
UNESCO committee approves conservation report for Iran's Hegmataneh
TEHRAN – The UNESCO World Heritage Committee has approved Iran's conservation report for the World Heritage site of Hegmataneh, confirming that the site's protection, management and restoration measures comply with the committee's requirements, provincial heritage officials said on Wednesday.
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2026-08-05 16:39
University of Tehran archaeologist warns against repeat of Jiroft civilization looting
TEHRAN – A University of Tehran archaeologist has warned of a rise in illegal excavations at archaeological sites in Iran’s Jiroft plain, urging authorities to take immediate action to prevent further damage to one of the country’s most significant ancient heritage areas.
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2026-08-04 17:36
French archaeologist calls for more research into Sasanian military architecture
TEHRAN – French architectural researcher and archaeologist Jean-Claude Voisin has highlighted the need for further studies on Sasanian military architecture, describing it as a field that reflects interactions among Roman, Byzantine and Central Asian traditions while remaining one of the less explored areas of ancient Iranian studies.
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2026-08-04 17:16
Heritage benefactor steps forward to restore Isfahan's historic Sheikh Bahai Bathhouse
TEHRAN – The first private philanthropist to support the restoration of a historical monument in Iran's central province of Isfahan has pledged about 60 billion rials (some $33,000) to help revive the centuries-old Sheikh Bahai Bathhouse, provincial cultural heritage officials said on Monday.
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2026-08-04 16:59
HEGTA chief highlights Ardabil’s potential as a storytelling destination
TEHRAN – Alireza Tabesh, chief executive of the Tourism Group of the Social Security Organization (HEGTA), has described Ardabil as a destination that needs to be introduced through storytelling, saying the province’s rich historical, cultural, natural and spiritual capacities have yet to be presented to visitors as a coherent tourism experience.
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2026-08-02 17:30
Seven fortresses, one strategy: How the Alamut defensive network worked
TEHRAN - When the name Alamut is mentioned, many people picture a castle standing atop a towering cliff. However, what has now been inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List as “Alamut Castle and Related Fortifications” is far more than a single fortress. It is a complex network of seven mountain strongholds that, between the 11th and 13th centuries CE, formed one of the most advanced defensive systems of medieval Iran through the combined use of geography, architecture, water management and spatial organization.
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2026-08-02 17:29
'Shiraz historical district restoration should rely on AI, future studies'
TEHRAN – The director-general of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts of Fars province has called for the use of artificial intelligence, advanced technologies and future-oriented approaches in the preservation and revitalization of Shiraz’s historic urban fabric.
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2026-08-02 17:29
Iran plans fifth gastronomy festival in Armenia to promote cultural ties
TEHRAN – Iran is planning to hold the fifth edition of a gastronomy festival in Armenia, with a focus on promoting the country’s culinary heritage, national tourism brand, and handicrafts, the deputy tourism minister said.
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2026-08-01 17:42
Mahalat: Discover 'the Netherlands of Iran'
Nestled in Iran’s Markazi province, Mahalat is a charming city celebrated for its mild climate, natural beauty, and rich historical heritage. Known nationwide as the City of Flowers and Plants and often referred to as the “Netherlands of Iran,” Mahalat has become one of the country’s most distinctive travel destinations, attracting visitors with its colorful landscapes, ancient monuments, therapeutic hot springs, and thriving horticultural industry.
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2026-08-01 17:41
Iran, Italy to cooperate on restoring ancient gateway near Persepolis for site museum
TEHRAN - Cultural heritage authorities are moving ahead with plans to convert the ancient Tall-e Ajori archaeological site near Persepolis into a site museum, following the completion of archaeological excavations and the launch of a restoration project in cooperation with Italian experts.
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2026-08-01 17:40
Blue Shield markers being installed on ancient bridges in Lorestan
TEHRAN - Blue Shield emblems are being installed on historic bridges in the western province of Lorestan as part of efforts to protect cultural heritage sites during armed conflict, the provincial cultural heritage chief said.
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2026-07-31 15:45
By Sahar Dadjoo
Destruction of Iran's cultural sites by Israel, US tantamount to destroying a civilization
Historian Touraj Daryaee says international law is nearly powerless against superpowers, but UNESCO status could deter future attacks
TEHRAN – Since US and Israeli strikes began in February, over 130 registered monuments and museums across Iran have sustained damage, from the Golestan Palace to historic quarters in Isfahan, Kordestan, and Lorestan. In an exclusive interview with Tehran Times, Touraj Daryaee, historian of ancient Iran and editor of Encyclopaedia Iranica, discusses the emotional and scholarly weight of watching millennia-old heritage damaged within weeks, the limits of international legal accountability, and what the destruction means for how Iran's history will be told and remembered.
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2026-07-31 15:45
VP calls cultural heritage key to national unity, soft power
TEHRAN – Iran's First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref on Thursday described the Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts as the country's "ministry of defending civilization and soft victories," saying Iran's cultural heritage remains one of the country's strongest sources of national unity and international influence.
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2026-07-31 15:44
Iran preparing three new UNESCO World Heritage nominations after Alamut listing
TEHRAN — Iran will pursue three new nominations for UNESCO World Heritage inscription next year following the successful listing of Alamut Castle and Related Fortifications, Minister of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts Seyyed Reza Salehi-Amiri said.
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2026-07-29 17:35
Lut Desert offers untapped potential for science, geotourism, experts say
TEHRAN – Iran’s Lut Desert, one of the hottest places on Earth and a UNESCO World Heritage site, holds significant potential for scientific research, education and nature-based tourism, researchers said at a conference marking the 10th anniversary of the desert’s inscription on the World Heritage list.
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2026-07-29 17:29
Study points to Sasanian military control reaching Indian Ocean
TEHRAN - A comprehensive geochemical study of ancient transport containers from the Fulayj fort in Oman has provided compelling new evidence of extensive maritime trade networks linking the Iranian heartlands with the Arabian coast during the Late Sasanian and Early Islamic periods.
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2026-07-29 16:49
Mostazafan Foundation launches museum card to encourage visits
TEHRAN - Iran’s Dafineh Museums Institute on Wednesday unveiled a special museum card that will allow holders to visit participating museums across the country, with organizers aiming to expand the scheme beyond the institute’s own museums through partnerships with public and private institutions.
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2026-07-28 17:00
Kermanshah among West Asia’s oldest human settlement areas, researcher says
TEHRAN – Kermanshah is one of the oldest known areas of human settlement in the Iranian Plateau and West Asia, with archaeological evidence indicating human presence dating back as far as one million years, Iranian researcher and historian Mohsen Derekeh said on Monday.
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2026-07-28 16:58
Online monitoring system planned for tourists from Afghanistan and Pakistan
TEHRAN - Iran plans to launch a pilot program to monitor in real time the entry, stay and departure of tourists from Afghanistan and Pakistan, following a meeting of government agencies that approved the executive framework and oversight requirements for the initiative.
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2026-07-28 16:57
Kordestan sets up Arbaeen handicraft markets along border route
TEHRAN – Iran's western Kordestan province has established volunteer service stations, handicrafts markets and tourism promotion programs along routes leading to the Bashmaq border crossing as Arbaeen pilgrims begin traveling to Iraq, provincial officials said on Tuesday.