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Iran’s Registered Intangible Heritage

Iran Nomad ToursOtherIran’s Registered Intangible Heritage

Intangible heritage refers to cultural practices, expressions, knowledge, and skills that are passed down through generations within a community. It includes things like oral traditions, performing arts, rituals, social practices, and traditional craftsmanship. Unlike tangible heritage, such as buildings or artifacts, intangible heritage is harder to physically preserve but is equally important for maintaining cultural diversity and identity.

The number of Iran’s intangible heritage reached 24 with the registration of Sadeh celebration in UNESCO (the last one so far). Due to the expansion of the territory of the ancient Iranian kings in a large part of the Iranian plateau in the distant years, many of today’s neighbors of Iran share many cultural commonalities with it. For this reason, some intangible heritage of Iran have been registered jointly with other countries in UNESCO’s Intangible cultural heritages list

Unlike UNESCO’s tangible heritage, it is not necessary for intangible heritage to be particularly valuable or universal in order to be registered in UNESCO’s list. According to UNESCO, the most important characteristic of intangible cultural heritage in different parts of the world is the transmission of these works from generation to generation. According to experts, the only reason for the survival of such heritage in the world is in fact  the word-of-mouth transmission of them between people of different societies, and this fact adds to the importance of these works. Their sustenance through people’s hearts .and minds

Another prominent feature of UNESCO’s intangible heritage is the distribution of these heritage among the people of different countries. Cultural exchange between different countries happens naturally due to human desire to expand social life and the migration phenomenon. For this reason, it is always possible and quite common to register shared cultural and spiritual heritage between countries on an unlimited basis throughout the year

Sadeh celebration was registered as the 24th Iranian intangible cultural heritage in a joint file with Tajikistan, at the 18th meeting of UNESCO’s World Committee for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Botswana. Moreover, “art of illumination: Təzhib/Tazhib/Zarhalkori/Tezhip/Naqqoshlik” as the 22nd and “Iftar/Eftari/Iftar/Iftor and its socio-cultural traditions” as the 23rd item of Iran’s intangible cultural heritage were registered in the same meeting.  And with the registration of Sadeh celebration, the number of Iran’s intangible heritage reached 24.

Intangible heritage refers to cultural practices, expressions, knowledge, and skills that are passed down through generations within a community. It includes things like oral traditions, performing arts, rituals, social practices, and traditional craftsmanship. Unlike tangible heritage, such as buildings or artifacts, intangible heritage is harder to physically preserve but is equally important for maintaining cultural diversity and identity.

The number of Iran’s intangible heritage reached 24 with the registration of Sadeh celebration in UNESCO (the last one so far). Due to the expansion of the territory of the ancient Iranian kings in a large part of the Iranian plateau in the distant years, many of today’s neighbors of Iran share many cultural commonalities with it. For this reason, some intangible heritage of Iran have been registered jointly with other countries in UNESCO’s Intangible cultural heritages list

Unlike UNESCO’s tangible heritage, it is not necessary for intangible heritage to be particularly valuable or universal in order to be registered in UNESCO’s list. According to UNESCO, the most important characteristic of intangible cultural heritage in different parts of the world is the transmission of these works from generation to generation. According to experts, the only reason for the survival of such heritage in the world is in fact  the word-of-mouth transmission of them between people of different societies, and this fact adds to the importance of these works. Their sustenance through people’s hearts .and minds

Another prominent feature of UNESCO’s intangible heritage is the distribution of these heritage among the people of different countries. Cultural exchange between different countries happens naturally due to human desire to expand social life and the migration phenomenon. For this reason, it is always possible and quite common to register shared cultural and spiritual heritage between countries on an unlimited basis throughout the year

Sadeh celebration was registered as the 24th Iranian intangible cultural heritage in a joint file with Tajikistan, at the 18th meeting of UNESCO’s World Committee for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Botswana. Moreover, “art of illumination: Təzhib/Tazhib/Zarhalkori/Tezhip/Naqqoshlik” as the 22nd and “Iftar/Eftari/Iftar/Iftor and its socio-cultural traditions” as the 23rd item of Iran’s intangible cultural heritage were registered in the same meeting.  And with the registration of Sadeh celebration, the number of Iran’s intangible heritage reached 24.

“Sedeh” is one of the invaluable rituals of ancient Iran, which is still held in some parts of the country at the beginning of the evening of 10th of Bahman (end of January). In this ritual, fire along with water, wind and earth are the four elements of Sepand, which have played a major role in many Iranian celebrations. Ancient Iranians believed that the fire lit on this day is a symbol of warming the earth and preparing it for spring.

 During the periods in which Iranians faced restrictions regarding performing this and similar rituals, they gathered firewood on top of the mountains or on the rooftops and burned them there, but nowadays they choose specific sites to light the fire and hold the ritual .

 In this celebration, Zoroastrians and Mubads (Zoroastrian priests), who have been guardians of Iranian culture in various eras along with other Iranians, stand in a circle around the fire and people stand behind them. In this ritual, the worshipers pray to the fire, light firewood and engage in reading Shahnameh and performing music.

Bellow, you can find all the registered Iranian cultural heritage along with their years of registration:

  • Traditional skills of carpet weaving in Fars (2010)
  • Traditional skills of carpet weaving in Kashan (2010)
  • Pahlevani and Zoorkhanei rituals (2010)
  • Ritual dramatic art of Ta‘zīye (2010)
  • Music of the Bakhshis of Khorasan (2010)
  • Traditional skills of building and sailing Iranian Lenj boats in the Persian Gulf (2011)
  • Naqqāli, Iranian dramatic story-telling (2011)
  • Qālišuyān rituals of Mašhad-e Ardehāl in Kāšān (2012)
  • Nawrouz, Novruz, Nowrouz, Nowrouz, Nawrouz, Nauryz, Nooruz, Nowruz, Navruz, Nevruz, Nowruz, Navruz (2016)
  • Flatbread making and sharing culture: Lavash, Katyrma, Jupka, Yufka (2016)
  • Art of crafting and playing with Kamantcheh/Kamancha, a bowed string musical instrument (2017)
  • Chogān, a horse-riding game accompanied by music and storytelling (2017)
  • Traditional skills of crafting and playing Dotār (2019)
  • Art of miniature (2020)
  • Pilgrimage to the St. Thaddeus Apostle Monastery (2020)
  • National programme to safeguard the traditional art of calligraphy in Iran (2021)
  • Sericulture and traditional production of silk for weaving, shared with Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, etc. (2022)
  • Turkmen-style needlework art shared with Turkmenistan (2022)
  • Yaldā/Chella shared with Afghanistan (2022)
  • Crafting and playing the Oud (2022)
  • Art of illumination: Təzhib/Tazhib/Zarhalkori/Tezhip/Naqqoshlik (2023)
  • Iftar/Eftari/Iftar/Iftor and its socio-cultural traditions (2023)
  • Sadeh/Sada Celebration (2023)