TEHRAN – A selection of 15 cultural elements, practiced in northern Gilan province, has been added to the National Intangible Cultural Heritage list, the provincial tourism chief has said.

The skills of baking Zeraneh bread, the talent of cooking Borani Polo, and Talesh’s traditional clothing were among the elements added to the significant list, Vali Jahani explained on Thursday.

n the sphere of influence of the successive Achaemenian, Seleucid, Parthian, and Sassanid empires that ruled Iran until the 7th century CE. The subsequent Arab conquest of Iran led to the rise of many local dynasties, and Gilan acquired an independent status that continued until 1567.

Sophisticated Rasht, the capital of Gilan province, has long been a weekend escape for residents of Tehran who are looking to sample the famous local cuisine and hoping for some pluvial action – it's the largest and wettest town in the northern region. Gilan is divided into a coastal plain, including the large delta of Sefid Rud and adjacent parts of the Alborz mountain range.

ABU/AM