TEHRAN – A total of six historical structures and buildings, which are scattered across the Iranian capital, have recently been inscribed on the National Heritage list, ISNA reported.

Amir Eqtedar Mansion, DeSoto Building, and the remnants of Qaleh-Dokhtar castle in the village of Ahar were among the new entries.

The list also includes Sahra Cinema Theater, also known as Rivoli Cinema Theater, which was inaugurated in 1966 by screening John Huston’s 1966 religious epic film “The Bible: In the Beginning...”. It was considered one of the biggest cinema theaters in West Asia at the time.

Two more buildings built by popular Iranian-Armenian architect Vartan Hovanessian (1896-1982) were also added to the National Heritage list.

The first time Tehran is mentioned in historical accounts is in an 11th-century chronicle in which it is described as a small village north of Rey.

Rey, in which signs of settlement dates from 6000 BC, is often considered to be Tehran’s predecessor. It became the capital city of the Seljuk Empire in the 11th century but later declined with factional strife between different neighborhoods and the Mongol invasion of 1220.

Tehran has many to offer its visitors including Golestan Palace, Grand Bazaar, Treasury of National Jewels, National Museum of Iran, Glass & Ceramic Museum, Masoudieh Palace, Sarkis Cathedral, Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art, Carpet Museum of Iran, to name a few.

ABU/MG