TEHRAN--Two historical neighborhoods of Esfanjan and Nasar to the extent of 55 hectares in historical texture of Semnan province were registered in Iran’s National Heritage List.

Semnan has 156 nationally registered heritage sites, ranging from bazaar complexes to religious monuments, underscoring the depth of the province’s cultural landscape.

Emphasizing the protection requirements, Deputy Head of Semnan Cultural Heritage Department Soroush Hashemi said that the Cultural Heritage Ministry’s measure will prevent the intrusion of greedy people into historical textures to reduce the area, ILNA reported. 

He said that all historical elements of Semnan including more than 90 historical monuments, are located in this area.

Hashemi continued that the important and valuable historical monuments and elements located in the registered area belong to various historical periods, from the second and fifth centuries AH to the Timurid and Ilkhanid eras. 

Therefore, registering the historical area and observing the protection requirements that were created following registration in the Cultural Heritage List are considered an action to protect the interests of cultural heritage, he added.

He said that national registration of 55 hectares of Semnan's historical fabric was one of the goals of Semnan Cultural Heritage Department, which was pursued by a specialized team and finally achieved last week after more than a year of continuous activity.

Hashemi emphasized: “We hope that the pattern of registering historical neighborhoods in other cities and historical neighborhoods in Iran will continue. Although it is possible that registering a historical area will have different feedbacks, what is important is the protection of historical elements, areas, and fabrics.”

He said that currently, with registration of the 55-hectare historical area of Semnan's historical fabric, no other organization will allow itself to encroach on  the historical areas."

Hashemi said that with the registration, approval, and notification of the historical fabric regulations, the influence of many organizations in historical fabrics will be prevented. 

He added that currently, within the 55-hectare area of Semnan's historical fabric, there are monuments such as the Jameh Mosque from the second century AH and monuments from the fifth century to the Ilkhanid period. Also, the Imam Mosque, which is one of the five four-porch mosques of the Qajar period (Fath-Ali Shahi Mosque), is located in this area, as well as the historical monument of Pachenar, which belongs to the fifth century AH. along with other historical monuments that are part of the original core of the city and are located in the registered historical area.

He also explained the conservation status of Semnan's historical fabric as follows: “Semnan's urban fabric is very dense and expanded on an organic basis. This fabric has grown completely naturally, and fortunately, we have not had any incidents such as settlement construction in this fabric and new areas have not been annexed to it.”

Located in north-central Iran, Semnan province features a combination of desert and forest landscapes and holds historical significance as part of the ancient Silk Road. The region’s cultural heritage and diverse geography have made it a focal point for Iran’s tourism development initiatives.

The ancient Silk Road has existed for thousands of years, passing through empires, kingdoms, reigns, and societies throughout history. At certain times in its long history, traders could travel freely along these routes, whereas at others, travel was difficult or dangerous.

According to UNESCO, the Silk Road enriched the countries it passed through, transporting cultures, religions, languages, and of course material goods into societies across Europe, Asia and Africa, and uniting them all with a common thread of cultural heritage and plural identities. There are over 40 countries today alongside the historic Land and Maritime Silk Road, all still bearing witness to the impact of these routes on their culture, traditions and customs.

Travelers along the Silk Road were fascinated not only by trade but also by the intellectual and cultural exchange that was taking place in cities along the route, many of which developed into hubs of culture and learning. Science, arts, and literature, as well as crafts and technologies, were thus shared and disseminated into societies along the lengths of these routes, and in this way, languages, religions, and cultures developed and influenced each other.

KD