Avash News: According to the ministry, the Masouleh World Heritage Site registration file was prepared for submission to UNESCO on January 25.
Ali Darabi, The deputy minister of Cultural Heritage at the Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism said that previously, further studies were scheduled to be carried out at the 45th UNESCO World Heritage Committee, which was held in Saudi Arabia in September 2026
“Fortunately, the Masouleh file has been completed and will soon be sent to the UNESCO base in Paris.”
She said the importance of the Masouleh case is due to iron mining during the Islamic period. In addition, Masouleh has a privileged location in the Hyrcanian forests, and the lifestyles of different ethnic groups and the shape of the buildings are other advantages.
Masouleh is located 25 kilometers southwest of Foman in Gilan Province.
The Masouleh Staircase Village was registered on the National Heritage List in 1976, and 14 years ago, efforts were made to register it as a World Heritage Site.
Masouleh was provisionally inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2002. The UNESCO file was due to be considered by the 45th UNESCO World Heritage Committee on 17 September 2023, but was postponed at the behest of the International Council on Monuments and Sites and UNESCO’s advisory arm, ICOMOS.
In consultation with Iran and the opinion of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, Iran was given time to resolve the ambiguities so that the file could be sent to UNESCO for review.
