TEHRAN — The way of preparing, Sangak, a traditional Iranian flatbread baked on heated pebbles, has been inscribed on Iran’s national list of intangible cultural heritage following a review by the country’s National Council for Intangible Heritage Registration, an official said.

Alireza Izadi, director general of national and world heritage registration at Iran’s Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts, said the registration recognizes Sangak as one of Iran’s traditional breads and an enduring part of the country’s food culture.

“Its registration is a step toward safeguarding part of the historical memory, everyday culture, indigenous knowledge and food identity of Iranians,” Izadi said, according to the ministry.

The name Sangak is derived from the Persian word for “pebble,” referring to the small river stones on which the bread is baked. The bread is typically made from whole-wheat, high-hydration dough and shaped into a rough triangle before being stretched over heated stones in a large oven. Sesame or poppy seeds are among the traditional toppings.

Izadi said the oldest known written reference to Sangak appears in the Borhan-e Qate (aka Burhan-i Qati), a Persian dictionary compiled by Muhammad Husayn ibn Khalaf Tabrizi in 1062 AH. The entry describes Sangak as a type of bread baked on heated pebbles.

He added that oral traditions and historical accounts have linked the bread’s origins to the Sasanian era and even earlier periods, while emphasizing that such accounts require further historical assessment.

Archaeological evidence has also been cited in support of the continuity of the baking tradition. According to Izadi, the remains of a Sangak bakery, including an intact oven and specialized baking pebbles, were discovered at a ruined fortress in Varamin, south of Tehran.

A popular account attributes the design of the Sangak oven to Sheikh Baha’i during the Safavid period, following a request from Shah Abbas to devise a method for supplying bread to soldiers during military journeys. Izadi said the story was recorded in a 1947 calendar published by Tehran’s bakers’ committee, but its historical accuracy remains uncertain.

He said national registration is intended not merely to preserve the appearance of Sangak, but also the knowledge and skills associated with preparing the dough, baking the bread, using traditional tools and maintaining related customs.

Izadi said the ministry would pursue efforts to document and study Sangak further with a view to seeking its inscription on UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list.

He added that such an effort would require cooperation among researchers, historians, traditional bakers, heritage practitioners and other relevant institutions.

AM