Carved out of a rock mountain, the village of Maymand is amongst the first human habitats in Iran where people still live in it. Based on the discovered evidence, the experts enumerate a history of three thousand years for it. However, the ceramics and inscriptions found in the region indicate a 12000-year history. Located in the Central District of Shahr-e Babak County, Maymand Village has 406 houses with 2560 rooms.

The village is the seventh Cultural-Natural Landscape in the world to win the Melina Mercouri International Prize. According to UNESCO, this village has been able to maintain a dialog between the humans and the nature in many aspects of life while keeping its authenticity.

Shahr-e Sukhteh (The Burnt City) Shahr-e Sukhteh was founded around 3200 B.C. in a green area, which is now a dry desert. Until 1800 B.C., the city was abandoned and rebuilt for four times. The site is a rich source of information about the emergence of advanced societies and the relationships between them in the millennium B.C. This archeological site demonstrates an outstanding example of primitive urban planning. Dividing the city into definite zones is the evidence of an important phase in the development of urban planning in this part of the world.

It is the evidence that shows a transition of a rural society to an urban one; a transition from the Copper Age to the Bronze Age. Shahr-e Sukhteh is an excellent example of ancient cultures and civilizations, which had extensive cultural and commercial relationships with the peoples living in the valley of Send, Southern shores of Persian Gulf, Oman Sea, the Southwest of Iran as well as the Central Asia. The archeological findings reveal the key role of this city in manufacture and trading of metals, gems, ceramics and stone-made dishes on a large scale. Discovery of artificial eye belonging to a young woman and a skull undergone surgery is an indication of complex remedy methods more than 5000 years ago.

The Glorious Golestan Palace is an impressive example of Qajari Art Style. Having been a source of inspiration for many Iranian artists since the Eighteenth Century, and an origin for a number of modern architectural movements, the palace is a combination of architecture and all manners of ornaments and traditional crafts. Located in the historical kernel of the city, the palace was originally founded in the Safavid Era to experience its climax in the Qajar Era. After Naser al-Din Shah Qajar had journeys to Europe, the ornaments and patterns of the palace were influenced by the European art. Golestan Palace is therefore an art gallery from the ancient to modern time. It is also a place for the confluence of Eastern and Western Arts. Apart from artistic values, it is also one of the most important “Place of Events” as it has witnessed many important historical events such as the Persian Constitutional Revolution.

Gonbad-e Qabus Tower is a fourteenth-century monument located in the Northeast of Iran, City of Gonbad-e Kavus, Golestan Province. As one of the most valuable antiquities belonging to the Islamic Era architecture, the monument is amongst the highest brick-built edifices in the world. Qabus Tower has been standing over a hill for more than a thousand years. It was erected in 996 during the reign of the Ziyarid Amir Shams ol-Ma’āliQabusibnWushmgir in the city of Jorjan. Qabus Tower has a star-shaped base and including the height of the platform hill (15 m), it reaches 70 m.

Jameh Mosque of Isfahan Jameh Mosque of Isfahan is the oldest monument in Isfahan and an outstanding instance to show the course of changes in the Iranian Architecture. Having been damaged due to various incidents such as fire, earthquake, as well as bombing during the war, the mosque is still indefeasible.

Jameh Mosque of Isfahan is one of the most important and oldest Iranian religious edifices. Archeological studies have demonstrated that even before Islam, this place has been an important religious center in the town. Different parts of the Mosque have been formed within two millenniums and they have been subjected to continuous rebuilding. The present appearance of the mosque is mostly the result of the measures taken in the era of Seljuk Empire. However, the restorations and additions were made in later eras especially during the Safavid Dynasty.

Having satisfied five of the inscription criteria, the collection of Pasargadae and Eram gardens in Fars Province (south-west of Iran), Pahlevānpur and Dowlatābād gardens in Yazd (Central Iran), Fin garden of Kashan (Central Iran), ChehelSotun garden of Isfahan (Central Iran), Akbariyye garden (southern Khorassan, east of Iran), Abbāsābād garden of Mazandaran (Northern Iran), and Māhān garden of Kerman (south-east Iran) was inscribed as Iran’s 13th Iranian cultural property on the World Heritage List, and by the World Heritage Committee. Having been constructed in various historical periods, starting as of the 6th Century BC, prove as compatible with the varied climatic conditions prevailing throughout Iran. The textures and structures behave similarly in that they all include, as their shared features, surrounding high walls, constructed spaces and mansions, as well as complexes of delicately planned irrigation systems. A predecessor in the field, the Persian Garden has influenced garden designs on the whole territory stretched between the Indian Subcontinent and Spain.

The greatest roofed bazaar of the world, and enjoying a history of nine centuries, the ancient Tabriz Historic Bazaar Complex continues to function as a prominent trade center. Previously, the Complex used to manifest as a main trade center on the Silk Road, and an important place for cultural exchanges, too. Architecturally, the Tabriz Historic Bazaar Complex comprises a mixture of mud-brick structures, roofed bazaars, and closed spaces classifiable for various categories of activities. The complex constitutes a complete sample of the Iranian traditional trade and cultural systems.

Sheikh Safi al-Din Khānegāh and Shrine Ensemble in Ardabil Encompassing architectural remains of the period between the years 735 and 1038 AH, the Sheikh Safi al-Din Ensemble comprises tens of masterpieces of various artistic branches, including Mo’arraq and Moqarnas tile-work, plaster arts, delicate and great inscriptions, masterpieces of Iranian calligraphy, valuable fret-work, silver carvings, makeup arts on books, and paintings, among others.

The site presents a majestic architectural design, prominent among Iranian historical ensembles due to the existence of the valuable artistic features mentioned above. In addition to its beauty and historical value, the site is, also, prominent due to its functioning as a gathering place for performing Gnostic and Sufi ritualistic practice.

The Shustar Historical Hydraulic System (Khuzestan Province, south-west of Iran) were established during the reign of Darius the Great, the Achaemenid king of the 5th Century BC. The system included in itself 10 water-mills: the world’s greatest industrial complex before the Industrial Revolution. Utilizing the available water resources by guiding them through a network of underground canals beneath the ancient city of Shushtar, which follows the climatic conditions prevailing throughout the region, the technique proves as a most thoughtful manifestation of urban-hydraulic architectural form.

The collection of Armenian Monastic Ensembles of Iran encompasses three Armenian Christian churches, namely Saint. Tadeus (QaraKelisā: “black church”), Saint Stepanus, and Zurzur. Tadeus, a founder of Armenian churches, was killed in 66 BC, due to his belief in Jesus Christ. His resting place is located in QaraKelesā, and functions as a prominent pilgrimage attraction for Armenians. Enjoying Armenian architectural features, QaraKelisā is among the most valuable historical properties of Iran, due to its space and architectural techniques. The site is well-known internationally, to the extent that every year it attracts Armenians of the world.