TEHRAN—The Cultural Heritage Ministry and Qeshm Free Zone Organization have started a coordinated effort to promote tourism and cultural infrastructure and prepare the ground for global registration of the Laft historical region in the central district of Qeshm Island, Hormozgan province, for preserving this ancient settlement alongside the Persian Gulf.

In this regard, Farhad Azizi Zalani, a senior official of the Cultural Heritage Ministry, met Adel Peyghami, managing director of Qeshm Free Zone Organization in Tehran, IRNA reported. 

During the meeting, Azizi Zalani said that Laft is one of the focal points in preserving the indigenous architecture and manifestation of values of urban planning in the south of the country. 

This dialogue will be the beginning of a successful model of multi-layered partnership for the physical, cultural and semantic regeneration of this historic port, he added.

Pointing to the upcoming projects, he said that improving the quality of physical structure, restoration of ancient mansions and monuments, organizing the passages, and improving the walls and historical parts of Laft have been put on the agenda. These measures will be implemented with contribution of Qeshm Free Zone Organization, he added. 

Azizi Zalani continued that the historical port of Laft has been defined as a national base under the supervision of the Ministry of Cultural Heritage since 2021, and since then, a series of study, protection, and restoration projects with a specialized perspective have been initiated in this area. 

The support of institutions such as the Qeshm Free Zone Organization in the implementation of these projects has opened new horizons for the balanced and identity-oriented development of this texture, he added.

Also, Adel Peyghami, managing director of Qeshm Free Zone Organization, called Laft a symbol of historical identity of Qeshm Island. 

He said that investment in tangible and intangible heritage of Laft can guarantee the cultural identity of Qeshm and promote cultural tourism in national and international levels.

Qeshm Free Zone Organization is ready to develop its administrative and field cooperation with the Ministry of Cultural Heritage, he added.

The national registration of the Laft base and the plans made to enhance its global status would not have been possible without the scientific and managerial support of the Ministry of Cultural Heritage, and now it is time for it to bear fruit through field synergy, he mentioned.

Also, Sheikh Ahmad Powazi, Friday prayer leader and head of the Islamic City Council of Laft, said: “The revival of Laft is not possible without public participation and help of local institutions. We have been on this path for years, and today these efforts are strengthened with the support and cooperation of two key institutions, namely the Ministry of Cultural Heritage and the Qeshm Free Zone Organization.”

Laft is not just a historical texture, but a living bioculture in the heart of southern Iran that requires intelligent conservation and global introduction, he added.

As one of the outstanding examples of traditional livability and sustainable interaction between humans and nature, the historical texture of Laft has been registered on the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List since 2019 as part of the chain of historical settlements on the Persian Gulf coast. The ongoing programs for the protection, restoration, and organization of this texture are being pursued in order to complete the documentation and enhance its world registration capacity. 

Laft is more than 2,000 years old. It is on Qeshm Island in the Straits of Hormuz, to the southwest of Bandar Abbas.

KD