TEHRAN –A total of nine historical sites and aging structures in Sistan-Baluchestan province have recently been inscribed on the national heritage list.

The Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts on Monday announced the inscriptions in an official document it submitted to the governor-general of the southeastern province, IRNA reported.

Gurkatan and Mil petroglyphs, remnants of Kheyrabd castle, Docheshmeh Bridge, and Lut Zangi Ahmad Caravanserai are among the properties registered on the list. 

The collective province -- Sistan in the north and Baluchestan in the south -- accounts for one of the driest regions of Iran with a slight increase in rainfall from east to west, and an obvious rise in humidity in the coastal regions. In ancient times, the region was a crossword of the Indus Valley and the Babylonian civilizations.

The province possesses special significance because of being located in a strategic and transit location, especially Chabahar which is the only ocean port in Iran and the best and easiest access route of the middle Asian countries to free waters. The vast province is home to several distinctive archaeological sites and natural attractions, including two UNESCO World Heritage sites, namely Shahr-e-Soukhteh (Burnt City) and Lut desert.

ABU/AFM