Heritage sites at forefront of protecting cultural identity
Iran’s Minister of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts Reza Salehi-Amiri on Sunday called for stronger national and world heritage sites across the country, describing them as the “front line” in safeguarding Iran’s cultural identity and civilization.
Speaking at a specialized meeting in Tehran on September 13 to review the challenges, capacities and executive structure of Iran’s cultural heritage sites, Salehi-Amiri said reorganizing the network, strengthening its specialized workforce and preserving provincial authority were among the ministry’s strategic priorities, CHTN reported.
National and world heritage sites stand at the forefront of protecting the country’s history, civilization and cultural identity, he said, stressing that their structural, scientific and operational reinforcement was vital to the sustainability of Iran’s cultural heritage ecosystem.
Salehi-Amiri called for a comprehensive reorganization of the sites and the creation of a more robust framework for their management and development.
“Our fundamental mission at this stage is to comprehensively organize and structurally empower these sites while establishing a network of skilled and elite experts,” he said.
Such a network, he noted, would help ensure that conservation and research activities move forward in line with the latest professional standards.
Salehi-Amiri also highlighted the ministry’s approach to balanced development and institutional decentralization, saying provincial cultural heritage departments should play a stronger role in managing and protecting the country’s vast historical assets.
“Our central policy is to strengthen the position of provincial general departments and avoid any weakening of executive structures at the provincial level,” he said.
The minister said empowering heritage institutions nationwide and reinforcing their specialized capacity would remain central to efforts to preserve Iran’s rich cultural legacy for future generations.