TEHRAN – Ancient rituals dedicated to water thanksgiving, and Eid al-Adha (Eid Qurban), along with four other cultural elements, all practiced in the western province of Kermanshah, have been registered in the National Intangible Cultural Heritage list. 

The Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts on Wednesday announced the inscriptions in a letter it submitted to the governor-general of the province, CHTN reported. 

The local game of Qamchan, which is played with several stones and is widely known as Yek-Qol Do-Qol, the skill of making two kinds of flatbread, and skill of cooking a local food, constituted four elements added to the prestigious list.

Kermanshah embraces a variety of awe-inspiring historical sites, of which Bisotun and Taq-e Bostan are both on the UNESCO World Heritage list.

Inscribed into the base of a towering cliff, Taq-e Bostan comprises extraordinary Sassanian bas-reliefs of ancient victorious kings divide opinions. Late afternoon is the best time to visit, as the cliff turns a brilliant orange in the setting sun, which then dies poetically on the far side of the duck pond.

Bisotun is a patchwork of immense yet impressive life-size carvings depicting the king Darius I and several other figures. UNESCO has it that Bisotun bears outstanding testimony to the important interchange of human values on the development of monumental art and writing, reflecting ancient traditions in monumental bas-reliefs.

ABU/AFM