TEHRAN – Tehran’s Vali-e Asr Street, which is famed as the longest in West Asia, will undergo extra maintenance and restoration work as a prerequisite for a possible UNESCO registration.

The plan seeks to revive [parts of] Vali-e-Asr Street, which are situated between the intersection of Moez al-Sultan, and Amir Akram, and Molavi, to pave the way for its registration as a World Heritage, Mehr quoted an official with Tehran Miniucipality as saying on Tuesday.

Landscaping and the beautification of urban spaces, flooring, and the protection of green spaces of the street are amongst tasks to be practiced, the report said.

The lighting of the City Theater Complex, which is widely considered as the sole professional center of theater in Iran, is among the important measures of this street.

Iran is following up on a possible inscription of the historical Vali-e Asr Street on the UNESCO World Heritage list. The street, which was built during the 1920s, is the longest in West Asia and is considered one of the longest in the world.

Vali-e Asr Street, which is registered on Iran’s National Heritage list, was added to the UNESCO’s temporary list in 2019. The street runs for over 17 kilometers from Tehran’s railway station in the south of the city to the Tajrish square in the north. It is lined with many shops, restaurants, parks, cinemas, and cultural centers.

“Vali-e Asr Street is the best example which witnesses the persistent exercises of creating the concept of Garden-Street as a destination of an urban area from the Safavid era up to the modern time. A variety of architectural styles from traditional to modern and eclectic is a representation of eastern and western values synthesis in a specific geographical point, which carries a true definition of an architectural and spatial place,” according to the UNESCO website.

Vali-e Asr Street is one of the main urban elements of Tehran City in the north-south direction. The starting point of the axis is Rah-ahan (railway) Square (52 23 51 E- 35 39 33 N) and its finishing point is Tajrish Square (52 23 51 E- 35 4824 N. Rah-ahan Square has an altitude of 1117m above sea level which amounts to 1615m in Tajrish Square.

AFM/