TEHRAN -- UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee has demanded that Iran complete the modification of the 11th story at the Jahan-Nama Tower to prevent the Naqsh-e Jahan Square in Isfahan from being added to the List of World Heritage in Danger.

The demand was made during the 34th session of the committee in Brasilia on Thursday, the Persian service of CHN reported on Friday.
Based on the committee’s new resolution, Iran must provide a strict urban planning to determine the suitable height for construction projects in order to preserve the historical and cultural view of the monuments and historical sites of Isfahan.
In addition, the committee praised Iran for its previous efforts in modification of the Jahan-Nama Tower.
The Jahan-Nama Tower spoils the horizontal panorama of the Naqsh-e Jahan Square, a complex of Safavid-era monuments registered on UNESCO’s World Heritage List in 1979.
During its 28th session on July 1, 2004, the committee called for modification of the Jahan-Nama Tower.
The organization later threatened to place the site on the List of World Heritage in Danger if Iran failed to fulfill its obligation to modify the tower.
Iran’s city of Bam and its cultural landscape, which were registered on UNESCO’s World Heritage List in 2004, is currently on UNESCO’s List of World Heritage in Danger, due to the severe damage to the city and its historical citadel caused by an earthquake in 2003.
According to the latest decision at the 34th session of the committee, Bam and its cultural landscape will remain on the list one more year.
Registration on UNESCO’s World Heritage List of two Iranian historical sites -- the tomb of Sheikh Safi ad-Din Ardebili and the Tabriz tradition bazaar -- is on the agenda for discussion during the session, which will run until August 3.
Photo: The Jahan-Nama Tower has been highlighted in an undated photo taken from the Naqsh-e Jahan Square in Isfahan before the modification of the tower. (Photo by Mehr)