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Iran’s first Paleolithic World Heritage site
UNESCO inscribes 60,000-year-old caves on World Heritage List
The UNESCO World Heritage Committee on July 11 inscribed Iran’s prehistoric Khorramabad Valley in the Zagros Mountains as the country's 29th World Heritage Site, marking the country's first-ever Paleolithic-era inscription. The decision was announced during the committee’s 47th session in Paris.
The site, located in western Iran’s Lorestan Province, documents over 60,000 years of human history through a series of caves and rock shelters, IRNA reported.
It includes five archaeologically verified sites, Yafteh, Ghamari, Kunji, Gilvaran, Kalder, and Gar Arjeneh, each offering clues into the evolution of human behavior, from Neanderthals to early Homo sapiens.
UNESCO experts called the cultural record “unparalleled” for its depth and continuity.
The caves lie in the rugged karst terrain of the Zagros Mountains, along what scientists call a critical prehistoric corridor linking Africa with Eurasia. “This inscription gives Iran its first foothold in global Paleolithic heritage,” said Sonia Shidrang, a Paleolithic archaeologist at Shahid Beheshti University and scientific lead on the nomination dossier.
Shidrang’s research at Yafteh Cave helped redefine the Baradostian tradition (ca. 40,000–25,000 years ago), revealing marine shell beads, hematite pendants, and perforated deer teeth, early examples of symbolic behavior. “These are not just ancient tools. They speak of thought, memory, identity,” she said. Her work was central to meeting UNESCO’s “Outstanding Universal Value” criteria.
The nomination involved years of collaboration between Iranian and international experts. John D. Speth, a University of Michigan anthropologist who co-directed excavations at Kunji Cave in 1969, welcomed the news. “This recognition is long overdue,” he said. “Khorramabad preserves a record of Homo sapiens’ dispersal and contact with Neanderthals, one of the world’s most compelling evolutionary stories.”
Beyond its scientific merit, the valley’s inscription was celebrated in Iran as a diplomatic and cultural milestone.
Minister of Cultural Heritage Reza Salehi Amiri described it as “a response to international misunderstanding” about Iran, adding that the move reflects a national commitment to history over hostility. “Even in difficult times, we choose to send the voice of culture, not the sound of explosions,” he said.
The region is also being positioned for broader tourism and investment. Ata Hassanpour, Director General of Lorestan’s Cultural Heritage Department, noted that barriers to investment have largely been cleared, calling the province “safe and ready” for both domestic and international visitors.
With this recognition, Iran joins a select group of countries, including France, Spain, China, and Indonesia, whose prehistoric sites are formally part of the global narrative of human origins. For archaeologists and cultural historians, Khorramabad Valley is now “a bridge across continents and species,” as one official put it, bearing witness to tens of thousands of years of human endurance and innovation.