TEHRAN - Iran is negotiating with Iraq to be added as a co-partner to the UNESCO listing of the traditional craft and technology of Al-Mudhif building, which Iraq registered on the organization’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2023, an Iranian heritage official said.

Alireza Izadi, Director-General for Registration and Preservation of Intangible and Natural Heritage at Iran’s Ministry of Cultural Heritage, said on Friday that discussions between the two countries have taken place over the past two years to add Iran to Iraq’s 2023 UNESCO listing of the Al-Mudhif construction tradition, Miras Aria reported.

“Cultural Heritage Minister Seyyed Reza Salehi-Amiri has held satisfactory talks with Iraqi officials in this field,” Izadi told reporters. He added that initial approval for Iran’s inclusion was reached last year.

“Based on this agreement, we will pursue the matter again during the next session of the UNESCO Convention in France,” Izadi said.

According to Izadi, cooperation between Iranian and Iraqi heritage authorities has been positive. “With the support of the World Heritage Committee, the file will be registered in the name of both Iran and Iraq,” he said.

The Al-Mudhif is a large arched structure made from reeds and papyrus that grow naturally in the marshes of southern Iraq and southwestern Iran. It serves as a communal gathering space for ceremonies, social events and cultural exchanges.

UNESCO describes the Al-Mudhif as a place where traditional knowledge, craftsmanship and customs are transmitted across generations through hands-on practice, storytelling and community participation.

For many Arab people of Iran’s Khuzestan province, Al-Mudhif (aka Mudhif) is a relatively large ceremonial structure for use by guests or as a gathering place for weddings, funerals, etc. It serves as a gathering place where members of the community can exchange, address conflicts, share experiences, tell stories, and practice cultural activities and social rituals such as weddings, circumcisions, religious ceremonies, and national celebrations.

According to the UN cultural body, Mudhif is also viewed as a space for transmitting traditional knowledge, values, handicraft skills, norms, and customs to children and young people.

AM