KHORRAMABAD — In a landmark celebration of Iran’s deep prehistory, a commemorative stamp honoring the Prehistoric Sites of the Khorramabad Valley has officially been unveiled at Falak-ol-Aflak Castle.

The ceremony, attended by more than 3,000 people last Friday, brought together citizens, cultural leaders, and senior government officials to mark the UNESCO World Heritage inscription of one of Iran’s most significant Paleolithic landscapes.

Hosted by Ata Hasanpour, Director General of Lorestan’s provincial directorate of cultural heritage, tourism, and handicrafts, the event combined a ceremony with a cultural performance. Traditional Lori music was performed on saz, dohol, and sorna, followed by a vocal piece from acclaimed Lor musician Bardia Mehravar. His composition—honoring the prehistoric caves of Khorramabad and evoking the Baradostian culture—was hailed as the first time Iran’s Paleolithic heritage has entered the realm of popular music, drawing an emotional response from the audience.

Key addresses were delivered by Dr. Ata Hasanpour, Seyed Reza Salehi-Amiri, Minister of Cultural Heritage, Tourism, and Handicrafts, and Saeed Shahrokhi, Governor-General of Lorestan province. The officials praised the decades-long scholarly and community efforts that led to the UNESCO inscription and formally recognized those most closely involved.

Certificates of appreciation were presented to leading contributors: Hasanpour (nomination dossier lead), Mohammad Hassan Talebian (technical and scientific supervisor), Sonia Shidrang (corresponding scientific author), Jebrael Nokandeh (Director General, National Museum of Iran), and Fereidoun Biglari (Deputy for Cultural Affairs, National Museum of Iran), among others. In a further tribute, the Khorramabad Municipality awarded honorary citizenship to Shidrang and Talebian for their critical roles in securing the inscription.

The commemorative stamp was jointly unveiled by Minister Salehi-Amiri and Governor-General Shahrokhi. Produced through collaboration between the Lorestan Provincial Directorate of Cultural Heritage and the Iranian Post Company, the initiative represents the culmination of decades of archaeological work aimed at securing international recognition for the region’s Paleolithic legacy.

The stamp design underscores the archaeological richness of the Khorramabad Valley, presenting six images: a scene from the 2025 Ghamari Cave excavations, the rock shelters at Gilvaran and Gar Arjeneh, a view of Kaldar Cave, and an artistic reconstruction of Upper Paleolithic hunters at Yafteh Cave. Together, these visuals narrate the story of Iran’s earliest human communities.

“This issuance marks a significant change in how Iran’s national narrative is presented,” said Fereidoun Biglari, who proposed the idea for the stamp. “From the late Qajar period until recently, stamps celebrating Iran’s archaeological heritage focused almost exclusively on historic and Islamic periods.”

He noted that the turning point came in 2019, when the National Museum of Iran released its first two Paleolithic-themed stamps: one featuring a Neanderthal tooth from Wezmeh Cave, and another depicting shell and tooth ornaments from Yafteh Cave. “Those stamps marked the first step in bringing Iran’s deep prehistory into the national imagination,” Biglari explained.

“The new Khorramabad stamp continues that pioneering tradition,” he added. “It ensures that the story of our earliest ancestors is not confined to academic circles but shared with the public. It is a celebration of scientific achievement and a recognition that Iran’s Paleolithic past is part of our collective cultural identity.”

The Prehistoric Sites of the Khorramabad Valley, inscribed during the 47th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee in Paris in July, include five caves and one rock shelter. The area preserves evidence of human occupation dating back 63,000 years, with archaeological remains from the Middle to Upper Palaeolithic periods.

The sites reveal Mousterian and Baradostian cultures and provide insights into early human migration from Africa to Eurasia. Finds such as symbolic objects and sophisticated stone tools highlight the cognitive and technological development of Homo sapiens in the Zagros Mountains.

Among the most significant sites is Yafteh Cave, which contains some of the region’s earliest evidence of symbolic behavior, while Ghamari Cave preserves traces of Neanderthal occupation followed by Chalcolithic pastoral communities.

AM