Tehran, 5 December 2006 (CHN Foreign Desk) -- After months of continuous work to prepare a full dossier of the Historic City of Maybod by experts of Maybod’s Research Center, the file was finally competed and sent to Iran’s Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization (ICHTO) to be submitted to UNESCO for world registration. This way, Maybod has joined 15 other historic sites pending to be sent to UNESCO by the Iranian cultural heritage officials.

 

Located 60 kilometers to the north of the provincial capital of Yazd, Maybod is one of the most ancient historical towns of the province. It is also the first city which was registered in full in Iran’s National Heritage list.

 

According to Eisa Esfanjari, director of Maybod’s Research Center, Maybod’s dossier was approved by ICHTO experts after initial studies. “After ICHTO received the report, it sent one of its experts to the historic city of Maybod for further investigations. The Organization then formally announced its approval to include Maybod among other files which will be sent one by one to UNESCO,” said Esfanjari to CHN.

 

Having a history of more than 15 centuries, Maybod has retained its ancient structures to a large extent. Buildings and elements of an old town such as roads and castles along with a number of important historical relics found in this city prove its existence in the pre-Islamic era - that is well before 650 AD.

 

Maybod is home to the most ancient evidence of urbanization of the territory of Yazd, namely the Narenj (Narin) Castle. Constructed by adobe and mud during the Median Empire (728 BC-550 BC), the Narin Castle was the imperial residence of the royalties and high ranking military officials of the time.

 

 

Maryam Tabeshian

foreigndesk@chn.ir