TEHRAN – The ritual of Elleshdirmeh, which is a part of wedding ceremonies among Turkmen people in the northern Golestan province, has been registered in the National Intangible Cultural Heritage list, CHTN reported.

Elleshdirmeh takes place after Aghd ceremony, in which the couple becomes officially husband and wife when their families put bride and groom’s hands together as a symbol of happiness.

During this ceremony, women sing songs and wish the couple a long life full of joy and happiness.

Nine more items including local dolls, the skill of sewing Qezelbash traditional clothes, and the skill of Qazaq-duzi (traditional needlework) were also registered on the prestigious list.

Silk weaving master Effat Moradi and wickerwork master Seyyed Mohsen Mazangi were also added to the list as Living Human Treasures.  

The Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts announced the inscriptions on Saturday in a letter to the governor-general of the province.

Golestan is reportedly embracing some 2,500 historical and natural sites, with UNESCO-registered Gonbad-e Qabus – a one-millennium-old brick tower – amongst its most famous. Narratives say the tower has influenced various subsequent designers of tomb towers and other cylindrical commemorative structures both in the region and beyond. The UNESCO comments that the tower bears testimony to the cultural exchange between Central Asian nomads and the ancient civilization of Iran.

ABU/MG