Siraf moves closer to UNESCO world status
Bushehr advances heritage projects
Iran’s bid to have the ancient port of Siraf inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List has cleared its initial review after the site was submitted as the country’s final nomination for the 2026 cycle, Bushehr’s director general of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts said.
Nasrollah Ebrahimi said the nomination was made a provincial priority after 19 years of calls by local residents, civil society organizations and cultural heritage activists. A dossier that would normally take about two years to prepare was completed and submitted in just four months following intensive work by experts, extensive research, the compilation of documentation and field studies, according to IRNA.
The Siraf dossier was reviewed by the Ministry of Cultural Heritage’s World Heritage Registration Policy Council, alongside strong competing nominations, including one from Khorasan Razavi Province. It secured the council’s approval after officials highlighted the ancient port’s historical, cultural and civilizational importance, Ebrahimi said.
According to correspondence between UNESCO and Iran’s Ministry of Cultural Heritage, UNESCO evaluators are expected to visit Siraf later this summer to assess the site’s conservation, management and social conditions.
Preparatory work at the historic port has already begun, Ebrahimi said. Meetings have been held with relevant government agencies and technical teams have been deployed to complete conservation, restoration, technical and community-related measures ahead of the UNESCO assessment.
“Siraf’s inscription on the World Heritage List cannot be achieved without public participation,” Ebrahimi said, expressing hope that support from the Bushehr provincial governor, the governor of Kangan, government agencies and the local community would help bring the nomination to a successful conclusion.
He also congratulated officials involved in the recent inscription of Alamut Castle in Qazvin Province on the World Heritage List and expressed hope that Siraf would become Iran’s next World Heritage site, either by the end of this year or in 2027.
Ebrahimi also announced plans to open four new museums in the province by the end of the current Iranian calendar year (March 21, 2027), saying museum development is among the priorities of the Ministry of Cultural Heritage under the Seventh Development Plan.
The Shahid Rais Ali Delvari Museum, which required extensive redevelopment after 17 years, including improvements to its exhibits and structural reinforcement, has been renovated and equipped with modern technology and updated content. It is scheduled to open during Government Week.
Ebrahimi announced that the Jam Museum would open during Government Week or Tourism Week, saying it was established with the participation of Jam Municipality and that the Cultural Heritage Department was currently developing its content.
Ebrahimi said archaeological remains dating back more than 12,000 years to the Paleolithic period had been discovered in Jam. The museum will provide an opportunity to introduce part of the region’s ancient history to residents and tourists. Meanwhile, as Siraf is being prepared for the UNESCO assessment, its museum is also undergoing reorganization, including the rearrangement of artifacts and display cases, ahead of reopening.
The Alavi Printing Museum in Bushehr’s historic district is scheduled to open by February, following restoration work and changes to its exhibits. The Bushehr Anthropology Museum, meanwhile, is 80 percent through its restoration and is expected to be ready for visitors by the same time.
Restoration is continuing at the historic Khormoj Bathhouse, located within the Mohammad Khan Dashti Castle complex, with the participation of Khormoj Municipality.
Plans are also being pursued to establish a sports museum in Bushehr in cooperation with the provincial Department of Sports and Youth Affairs and sports-sector activists. The province has a particularly strong sporting heritage, especially in football.
Ebrahimi also said efforts were continuing to develop the Dashtestan Museum at the Moshir Caravanserai in Borazjan. The site contains valuable historical remains dating from the Achaemenid period through the Islamic era and was also used during the Pahlavi era as a place of exile for several prominent national figures. It therefore has the potential to become a museum of resistance, he said.
Other major restoration projects include the Moshir Bridge in Borazjan, Kalat Ahram Castle and the bathhouse at Mohammad Khan Dashti Castle.
Ebrahimi said the regeneration of Bushehr’s historic district, supported by private-sector investment and the conversion of historic houses into traditional guesthouses and boutique hotels, had helped transform the area into a hub for sustainable tourism.
Cultural events, including Sharveh-Khani, Ta’zieh performances and ethnic festivals, have also helped demonstrate the vitality of the historic district, he said.
Ebrahimi also addressed the state of tourism in the province in recent months, saying that from December 2025, when Bushehr’s peak tourism season began, through August 2026, the province’s tourism sector suffered serious setbacks.
He added that tourism facilities bore the brunt of the impact in terms of visitor numbers, revenue and employment, with losses in some cases exceeding those suffered by industrial and petrochemical companies.
“Bushehr currently has 27 hotels and hotel-apartments, 11 guesthouses, 41 eco-lodges, 53 travel agencies, 13 private guesthouses, six coastal and marine tourism centers, eight traditional accommodation facilities, 14 traditional restaurants and eight roadside restaurants.”
The province has 8,993 accommodation beds, with occupancy reaching 94 percent during peak tourism periods. Ebrahimi said 715 handicraft licenses had so far been issued in the province, while 34 national seals of quality had been awarded to Bushehr artisans.