TEHRAN – Fifty nine historical and natural sites in the central Iranian province of Yazd have been inscribed on the National Heritage List, provincial tourism chief has said.

Thirty-six immovable properties, six moveable properties, 12 intangible items, five natural sites, and four historical structures were added to the National Heritage List during the previous Iranian calendar year 1398 (ended on March 20), Ali-Asghar Samadiani announced on Saturday, CHTN reported. 

Over 150 archaeological and historical sites were also identified across the province through excavations and surveys conducted by Yazd Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts Department during last year, he added.  

He also noted that some 450 historical objects, as well as 409 historical sites in the province, were restored by teams of cultural heritage experts and restorers in the previous Iranian year. 

Moreover, visits to historical and cultural heritage museums in the province rose by 14 percent during the past year compared to the year earlier, he stated. 

In July 2017, historical structure of the city of Yazd was named a UNESCO World Heritage. Wedged between the northern Dasht-e Kavir and the southern Dasht-e Lut on a flat plain, the oasis city enjoys a very harmonious public-religious architecture that dates from different eras.

Yazd is usually referred to as a delightful place to stay, or a “don't miss” destination by almost all of its visitors. It is teemed with mudbrick houses that are equipped with innovative badgirs (wind catchers), atmospheric alleyways, and many Islamic and Iranian monuments that shape its eye-catching city landscape.
   
It is a living testimony to the intelligent use of limited available resources in the desert for survival. Water is brought to the city by the qanat system. Each district of the city is built on a qanat and has a communal center. 

Buildings are built of earth. The use of earth in buildings includes walls and roofs by the construction of vaults and domes. Houses are built with courtyards below ground level, serving underground areas. Wind-catchers, courtyards, and thick earthen walls create a pleasant microclimate.

Partially covered alleyways together with streets, public squares and courtyards contribute to a pleasant urban quality. The city escaped the modernization trends that destroyed many traditional earthen cities. 

It survives today with its traditional districts, the qanat system, traditional houses, bazaars, hammams, water cisterns, mosques, synagogues, Zoroastrian temples, and the historic garden of Dolat-Abad. The city enjoys the peaceful coexistence of three religions: Islam, Judaism, and Zoroastrianism.

ABU/MG