Iran surveying natural attractions for UNESCO list
Lut Desert (Dasht-e Lut), attractions surrounding the Mt. Sahand and Mt. Sabalan mounts, and Kataleh Khor Cave have been proposed by the Geological Survey of Iran (GSI), and the council, which is affiliated to the Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization, will present the dossier of one of them to UNESCO after the studies are completed.
“The nominees were announced in a session during the mid-May sojourn of UNESCO World Heritage Center director Francesco Bandarin in Tehran,” GSI official Alireza Amri Kazemi said.
“Bandarin preferred the Lut Desert nomination because the desert is unique from many points of view,” he added.
Amri Kazemi stated that the Lut Desert is home to the world’s tallest sand hills and has some of the highest average temperatures in the world according to studies carried out by Parviz Kardavani, a desert expert of the University of Tehran.
Located in eastern Iran, the Lut Desert stretches about 200 miles (320 kilometers) from northwest to southeast and is about 100 miles wide. In the east a great massif of dunes and sand rises, while in the west an extensive area of high ridges is separated by wind-swept corridors.
With numerous eye-catching landscapes, Mount Sabalan (4,811 meters) and Mount Sahand (3,700 meters) are located in northwestern Iran.
Kataleh Khor Cave is located in the heart of Mount Saqizlu, 140 kilometers southwest of the northwestern city of Zanjan. It enjoys beautiful landscapes with huge transparent stalactites that fascinate every visitor.
UNESCO aims to promote geotourism by registering the world’s natural attractions on its World Heritage List.
This is the first time applications are being made to register Iran’s natural attractions on the list.
Persepolis, the Chogha Zanbil Ziggurat, Naqsh-e Jahan Square, Takht-e Soleiman, Pasargadae, the city of Bam and its cultural landscape, and Soltanieh Dome are the Iranian monuments and sites that have already been registered on the World Heritage List.