TEHRAN – The tourism chief of Bushehr believes Siraf, which is situated in the southwestern Iranian province, has considerable potential to become a UNESCO World Heritage.

“The ancient port of Siraf can be registered in the World Heritage list due to its numerous historical monuments and originality of maritime trade with other ports of the world,” Esmaeil Sajjadimanesh said on Sunday.

The port is home to a customs office, grand mosque, aristocratic houses, troglodyte architecture, [ruined] fortresses and outposts.

“To achieve this goal, all responsible institutions should play their supporting role.”

Moreover, the inspiration of local communities must not be neglected as the protection of cultural heritage is everyone’s duty and must be institutionalized as a positive culture among the people, the official explained.

Elsewhere in his remarks, Sajjadimanesh urged the need for establishing a policy council to follow up on the matter of global registration.

Siraf was Iran’s most important port from the Sassanid period to the 4th century AH. It bears plentiful evidence of Persian mastership and genius in seafaring, international relations, and interaction with other near and far cultures and civilizations.

Between 1966 and 1973, the British Institute of Persian Studies conducted seven seasons of excavation and survey at Siraf, which was a major city on the Iranian shore of the Persian Gulf that played a leading role in the network of maritime trade that supplied Western Asia with the products of India, the Far East, and Eastern Africa between 800 CE and 1050.

Siraf had a population of about 300,000 during the early Islamic era and this fact shows that it was a large city. However, today, just about 7,000 people live in Siraf in a small area.

The historical and architectural monuments of Bushehr include Islamic buildings like mosques and praying centers, mansions, old towers, castles, as well as gardens. Moreover, Bushehr embraces significant monuments from the Elamite, Achaemenid, Parthian, and Sassanid eras.

Furthermore, Bushehr is home to various archaeological mounds including Tall-e Khandaq with Sassanid architectural style, Tall-e Marv located near an Achaemenid Palace, and Qajar era Malek al-Tojar Mansion.

AFM