The ancient structure of Belad Shapour is located in Dehdasht, southwest of Iran. It was once one of the greatest historical sites in Iran; however, it has witnessed lots of damages at the end of the Safavid era and the Zandieh period, due to its insecure trading routes and only 35 hectares are now left behind.

According to historical writings, this area was called Belad Shapour in the past and was founded by Shapour I, the son of Ardeshir Sasanid I. It is a great reservoir of Islamic architecture belonging to the Safavid dynasty.

Head of Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization of Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad Province, Siavash Zamani told Mehr News, “this site has a great number of historical remnants such as mosques, water reservoirs, shrines, citadels, graveyards and inns. The initial stages for the global registration of this site have gone under way and the site will hopefully be enlisted on UNESCO’s World Heritage List in the near future.”

This is the first historical monument in Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad Province to be ever registered on this list. “Once Belad Shapour is finally globally registerd, it can be introduced to people around the world, which can greatly improve the economy of Dehdasht,” he said.

World Heritage Site is a title that is given to the locations which have outstanding universal value to all humanity, according to the UNESCO description.

So far a number of Iranian sites have been registered on UNESCO’s World Heritage List including Pasargadae, Persepolis, Sheikh Safi al-din shrine, Shoushtar historical hydraulic system, Soltaniyeh, Tabriz historical bazaar complex, Takht-e Soleiman, Tchogha Zanbil and the Persian garden.

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MNA

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