Iran has presented two cases in the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, “Iran’s Railway” and “Uraman Takht.”
Experts have provided Iran with an initial opinion on the two cases. Uraman Takht appears to have a better chance compared to Iran’s Railway. Although cultural heritage officials still hope both cases will be inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
According to ISNA, the UNESCO World Heritage Committee started working in China on Friday after a one-year hiatus due to the corona epidemic. It is a virtual meeting, and according to the Deputy Minister of Cultural Heritage, only members of the International Committee are present in China.
Virtualization has reduced the power of consultation and negotiation over the registration of files. Mohammad Hassan Talebian had previously mentioned this point. He has now moved to France, UNESCO headquarters, so that consultations may be better from this angle for Iran’s Railway case.
This particular case is scheduled to be reviewed on Sunday, July 25, according to the schedule announced by the UNESCO Secretariat, and the Uraman Takht or Horaman (Avorman) Cultural Landscape Registration File is scheduled to be reviewed on Tuesday, July 27 (August 5).
In an interview published on the news website of the Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts on Saturday, July 17, Talebian said: “ICOMOS has announced The initial theory regarding Iran’s Railway cases. Based on the comments received, Urman Takht has a higher chance to be registered.”
There are issues with Iran’s railway case. However, they are in final consultations for both cases.
The Deputy Minister of Cultural Heritage did not elaborate on the UNESCO experts’ opinion on the railway case and said in private that due to the technical complexity and scope of the two cases, the expert review process in ICOMOS and the World Heritage Committee gives the final decision. Both are valuable enough to be registered as a World Heritage Site.