Iranica Desk

The city of Ravansar, in the western Iranian province of Kermanshah, has become the research center for the Cultural Landscape of Hawraman/Uramanat, which has been registered on UNESCO’s World Heritage List.
Announcing the above, head of Cultural Landscape of Hawraman/Uramanat site, Pouya Talebnia, added that although the geographical features of the region indicate its harsh biological conditions, archaeological studies carried out in the area have shown that human groups were settled there for a long time, ISNA reported.
Hawraman/Uramanat is located in the heart of the Zagros Mountains in the provinces of Kurdestan and Kermanshah, along the western border of Iran.
Talebnia added a total of 120 archeological sites have been identified during the excavation projects conducted in the region for over half a century.
He pointed out that thanks to its geographical location, Ravansar, known as the gateway to the Cultural Landscape of Hawraman/Uramanat, is one of the key and important archeological zones of the region.
“Numerous ancient sites are situated in the area including Quri Qala Cave, dating back to the Paleolithic Period and Taq-e Shirin and Farhad (Arch of Shirin and Farhad) which belongs to the Achaemenid Period,” he said, noting they have a chronological sequence from the Neolithic to the Islamic period.
“With regard to its existing capacities and the support provided by senior provincial and city’s officials, Ravansar has been selected as the archaeological research center of the Cultural Landscape of Hawraman/Uramanat,” he noted.
Talebnia stated that the first archaeological atlas of Kermanshah Province was prepared in Hawraman region for research purposes, under the supervision of Masoud Sadeqirad.
He concluded that identifying ancient sites, generating knowledge about their historical backgrounds, drawing up plans for their protection, and developing tourism in Hawraman region are among objectives of implementing archeological projects in the area.
Stretched over 400,000 hectares, the remote and mountainous landscape of Hawraman/Uramanat bears testimony to the traditional culture of the Hawrami people, an agropastoral Kurdish tribe that has inhabited the region since about 3,000 BCE.
Along with cultural and architectural beauties, Hawraman is an attractive natural spot. There are many springs, like Bel Spring, and rivers like Sirvan River which have granted beauty to this part of the earth. Hawraman is also inhabited by diverse local fauna. The brown bear, Persian leopard, wild goat and wolf could be seen in the region, especially throughout the Bozin and Marakhil Protected Area at the southwest of Hawraman.
Fascinating terraced architecture and flawless natural attractions caused UNESCO to inscribe the “Cultural Landscape of Hawraman/Uramanat” as a World Heritage Site.
 

The Persian Garden truly resembles paradise on Earth. The general pattern of Persian gardens has a rectangular form consisting of four quarters abundant in trees and flowers, streams and pathways, ponds and fountains, usually a central pavilion, and walls that surround the garden.
Persian gardens are so remarkable that nine gardens out of a wide variety are inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage Site. Located in different climatic parts of Iran, Persian gardens have their unique features but are still similar in overall structure.
In the first two parts of the article we talked about the general characteristics of Persian gardens and seven out of nine gardens registered on UNESCO’s World Heritage List. Part Three will present more information on the topic.

Abbas Abad Garden

Abbas Abad Garden, registered on UNESCO’s list, is one of the most beautiful and important tourist attractions in the city of Behshahr, in the northern province of Mazandaran, according to iransafar.co.
Throughout history, less attention has been paid to gardens and designed green spaces in northern Iran because the region has an abundance of forests. But Abbas Abad Garden, dating back to the Safavid Era (1501-1736 CE), is known as the most important garden in northern Iran.
To construct Abbas Abad Garden, the Safavid engineers created a platform by cutting in the mountains and created a sloped garden using Achaemenid techniques.
The most notable feature of the garden is its clay pipes, which were used to direct water flow.
There is also an old dam and a beautiful lake in the middle of the garden.

Pasargadae Garden

Although there is no specific picture or map of the original Pasargadae Garden, in the southwestern province of Fars, available now, excavations in the current Pasargadae area have shown that there was a beautiful garden on the site which was designed by Persians, perhaps Cyrus the Great.
The oldest document from the garden, inscribed on UNESCO’s list, is “Shahdad Bronze Flag,” which dates back 3,500 years. On this metal plate, there is an image of an ancient goddess and three women sitting in a lush garden in the shape of a chessboard.
After Cyrus, other Achaemenid kings, such as Darius, Ardeshir II, and Xerxes, also began establishing gardens in Susa and other cities, and the pattern of Persian gardens spread to all cities.
There are several other famous Persian gardens in various parts of the country. A number of them are as follows:

Soleimanieh Palace Garden

Soleimanieh Palace Garden is reminiscent of the Iranian Safavid (1501-1736 CE) and Qajar (1789-1925 CE) dynasties. This garden is in fact a birthday present to Soleiman Mirza, the son of Fath Ali Shah Qajar.
After Abbas Mirza was appointed as Iran’s crown prince, his brother Soleiman became frustrated. In order to attract the king’s attention, Soleiman started a war against the governor of Baghdad, defeated him quickly, and offered all his war trophies to his father. Proud of his son, the king gave him the title, ‘Dowlat Shah’ (The king’s wealth) and gifted him a beautiful edifice in Karaj. One of the interesting things about this mansion and garden is its resemblance to Shams-ol-Emareh Palace, even in terms of decorations such as paintings and window designs.

Sun Palace

Sun Palace or Sun Mansion are the names that are used to call a garden and palace located in the city of Kalat, Khorasan Razavi Province. The palace was built on the order of Nader Shah Afshar (1688-1747 CE) to maintain the royal treasury in a circular tower. In fact, the four floors of the tower and the mansion represent the four social classes of the time.

Bagh-e Irani Garden

The Bagh-e Irani Garden, located in the old neighborhood of Deh-e Vanak, Tehran, was an old garden whose traditional architectural elements has recently been rebuilt, and the greenery was designed based on the pattern of the Persian Garden, full of orchards and flowers.
The garden’s total area is approximately 3.5 hectares, of which 2.5 hectares are used for green space.
In the design and construction of this garden, the old trees of the former garden have been preserved.
National Botanical Garden of Iran

The National Botanical Garden of Iran, located in Tehran, is a national park where a variety of native and non-native plants are cultivated outdoors and in greenhouses. The garden is used as a genetic reserve for endangered plants and provides the opportunity to study and to conserve biodiversity.
Using different scientific methods, it is possible to identify the plant species of Iran and determine their distribution range. Research on the methods of breeding and cultivating valuable species from a conservation and economic point of view is another area of interest in Iran’s botanical garden.
The layout of the garden was designed to create the natural ecosystem of three mountains ranges, the Zagros, Alborz, and Himalayas, as well as two lakes and two rivers, each of which has simulated natural spaces for the relevant vegetation, providing a wonderful tourist attraction at the same time.

Concluded

 

Thirty-two handicrafts of Tehran Province received the National Seal of Excellence, said Parvaneh Heydari, deputy head of the provincial Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts Organization, chtn.ir reported.