TEHRAN - The indigenous stories and local lullabies of the northeastern province of North Khorasan are one step closer to possibly be inscribed on the national intangible cultural heritage list, the provincial tourism chief has said.

The stories and lullabies of the people of the province are planned to be added to the list of the cultural heritage of the country so that indigenous culture can be promoted and passed down to future generations, Ali Mostofian announced on Monday.

“The texts of several stories have been collected and documented, and a databank of storytellers and researchers in the fields of literature and indigenous culture is being developed,” the official added.

Indigenous stories can teach valuable lessons about a society's culture, its land, and the way that its members are expected to interact with each other and their environment. The transmission of these stories from generation to generation maintains social order.

Whether a lullaby, a grandmother’s bedtime story or a tale from the “Thousand and One Nights” told by the heroine Shahrzad, the oral tradition of storytelling has been prominent in the culture and traditions of Persian speakers for hundreds of years, aiming at not only entertaining but also educating and promoting cultural values.

ABU/AFM