TEHRAN- The skills of making Kezinkeh and Nimefis, two traditional flatbreads in the western Kordestan province, have recently been inscribed on the National Heritage list.

While Kezinkeh is considered as a complete meal, Nimefis has a longer shelf life and is mostly baked by the people who have to stay in the mountains of the region during the winter.

Some more 10 items in the region including local games of Dameh and Socks, the skill of making plow, and the skill of making wooden rake were also added to the National Heritage List, the Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism, and Handicrafts announced on Sunday.

Pottery master Nasrin Mirzai and knitting shawl master Aref Gholami were also registered on the list as Living Human Treasures, based on a letter the ministry submitted to the governor-general of the western province.

The name Kordestan refers to the region’s principal inhabitants. After the Turkish invasion of Iran in the 11th century CE (Seljuk period), the name Kurdistan was applied to the region comprising the northwestern Zagros Mountains. It was during the reign of Abbas I the Great of Iran’s Safavid dynasty (1501–1736) that the Kurds rose to prominence, having been enlisted by Abbas I to help stem the attacks of the marauding Uzbeks from the east in the early 17th century.

ABU/MG