TEHRAN – A total of 12 cultural elements, which are practiced in the northern province of Mazandaran, have recently been added to the National Intangible Cultural Heritage list.

The Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism, and Handicrafts on Saturday announced the inscriptions in an official document it submitted to the governor-general of the province, CHTN reported.

The local game of Alakdolak, the skill of making the local dish of Laksu, and the talent of weaving Kelardasht carpet were among entrees to the prestigious list, the report added.

The skill of making Khamirtala sweets, Haqani and Katuli maqami music, and the talent of baking Kani bread were other elements being registered.

An early civilization flourished at the beginning of the first millennium BC in Mazandaran (Tabarestan).

Its insecure eastern and southeastern borders were crossed by Mongol invaders in the 13th and 14th centuries. Cossacks attacked the region in 1668 but were repulsed. It was ceded to the Russian Empire by a treaty in 1723, but the Russians were never secure in their occupation. The area was restored to Iran under the Qajar dynasty.

The northern section of the region consists of lowland alongside the Caspian and upland along the northern slopes of the Alborz Mountains. Marshy backlands dominate the coastal plain, and extensive gravel fans fringe the mountains. The climate is permanently subtropical and humid, with very hot summers.

17 Iranian elements registered in the UNESCO list

A selection of 17 Iranian elements has been registered in UNESCO’s list of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Among Iran’s entries to the prestigious list are Radif of Iranian music; traditional skills of carpet weaving in Kashan; Music of the Bakhshis of Khorasan; Naqqali, Iranian dramatic story-telling; traditional skills of building and sailing Iranian Lenj boats in the Persian Gulf; and traditional skills of crafting and playing Dotar.

Furthermore, the ancient country seeks to register five intangible elements on UNESCO’s list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in near future. They are ancient festivities of Mehregan and Yalda, crafting and playing [the stringed instrument of] the Oud, traditional craft of silk spinning, and Turkmen Duzi (a kind of traditional textile being practiced by Iranian Turkman tribes).

The Islamic Republic expects to reap a bonanza from its numerous tourist spots such as bazaars, museums, mosques, bridges, bathhouses, madrasas, mausoleums, churches, towers, and mansions, of which 26 are inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list.

ABU/AM