TEHRAN -- Susa, the ruined capital of ancient Elam in southwestern Iran, and Meimand, a 3000-year-old village built on rocky mountain cliffs in the southeastern Iranian province of Kerman, were registered on the World Heritage List of UNESCO on Saturday.

The decision to add the sites on the list was made during the 39th session of the World Heritage Committee, which is currently underway in Bonn, Germany, Iran’s Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts Organization announced on Saturday.

Located in Khuzestan Province, Susa is home to the ruins of the palaces of the Achaemenid kings Darius and Artaxerxes I.

The Code of Hammurabi, a stele bearing the most complete and perfect extant collection of Babylonian laws developed during the reign of Hammurabi (1792–1750 BC), was discovered in the ruins of the ancient city.

The village of Meimand is located near the town of Shahre Babak in the Kerman Province.

It is one of the world rarest historical villages, where ancient traditions are still observed in daily life and even the close bonds between man and nature is evident even in today’s technological era.

The houses of the village, which has an elevation of 2200 meters, have been constructed without the use of modern building materials. Its residents are mainly involved in cattle breeding and agriculture.

The village was awarded the Melina Mercury Prize in 2005. The prize was founded in 1999 by the former Greek minister of culture and art, Melina Mercury, to promote protection of cultural and natural landscapes.

Photo: This combination photo shows a man (L) getting shots of a column base in the ruins of the Apadana Palace of Susa, and a couple walking in the village of Meimand.

MMS/YAW
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