At last, after months of waiting, today Iran succeeded in registering another historical site in the list of UNESCO's World Heritage Sites. By inscribing Bisooton historical site, the number of Iranian historical sites registered in UNESCO's World Heritage Sites reached to eight.

The other seven Iranian sites which had previously been inscribed in UNESCO's World Heritage Sites include Persepolis and Pasargadae in Fars province, Tchogha Zanbil in Khuzestan province, Naqsh-e Jahan Square in Isfahan, Takht-e Soleiman in West Azarbaijan province, Soltanieh Dome in Zanjan province, and Bam Citadel and its cultural landscape in Kerman province. The decision to inscribe Bisotoon as the eighth Persian cultural heritage site in UNESCO's List was announced today by the World Heritage Committee in its 30th session which is currently being held in Lithuania.

"Adding Bisotoon in the list of World Heritage Sites will provide this historical site an opportunity to use more international facilities and protection. This decision will also attract more tourists to the region which, in turn, will create 8 new job opportunities," said Maliheh Mehdi Abadi, head of Bisotoon project.

The file which had been submitted to UNESCO about Bisotoon historical site and also the potential characteristics and historical attractions of the area were strong enough to convince the UNESCO Committee register this historical site. So the members of the Committee unanimously announced their agreement with inscribing Bisotoon as a World Heritage Site in today's summit without much debate.

"On this session, ICOMOS and the World Heritage Committee appreciated Iran's effort for preparing and submitting such a complete file about Bisotoon and decided to inscribe Bisotoon as one of the unique historical sites of the world in the list of UNESCO's World Heritage Sites," explained Taha Hashemi, deputy director of Iran's Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization.

Bisotoon historical site, located 30 kilometers northeast of Kermanshah, consisting of numerous valuable historical remains such as the Median Temple, Darius the Great's relief and frieze, Seleucid statue of Hercules, and the Sassanid monument of Bisotoon. It is considered one of the most unique historical sites of Iran. The most important features of the Bisotoon complex are the Babylonian and Elamite cuneiforms and also Darius' inscription which marks the birth of the ancient Persian alphabet.

Inscription of Bisotoon in UNESCO's List of World Heritage Sites is considered a huge success for Iran and a motivation for continuing its effort in promoting and preserving the Persian Cultural Heritage.

© Iranian.ws