TEHRAN – Iran’s Minister of Cultural Heritage, tourism and handicrafts announced Tuesday that the historic Alamat Castle is on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Speaking to reporters during his visit to Kazbin State on Tuesday, Minister Reza Salehi Amiri confirmed that UNESCO evaluators can visit the area in late September or early October to carry out a final assessment.
Salehi-Amiri emphasized that the inscription of Alamut marks a turning point for tourism in the area. “This recognition will make Alamat a global destination for cultural travelers and history lovers,” he added.
It is located in the South Caspian Sea region near the village of Gazakhan in Kazbin Province, also known as the “Eagle’s Nest”, on a dramatic mountain ridge about 200 kilometers northwest of Tehran.
It became prominent in 1090 AD when it was taken over by Hassan y Sabba, the leader of the Nizari Ismaili faction. For more than 160 years, Alamut served as the intellectual and strategic center of the semi-automatic state, renowned for its extensive library, gardens and scientific research.
In his remarks, the Minister of Tourism also emphasized the need to improve the local infrastructure to accommodate future visitors. “Although Qazvin enjoys a high level of safety and cultural appeal, we need to double the capacity of our accommodation within the next five years, in line with the seventh national development plan,” he said.
To achieve this goal, Salehi Amiri said the government is working on new incentives to attract private investment in the tourism sector. “Details of these incentives will be announced at the right time,” he noted.
The minister also praised the continued efforts to maintain Kazbin’s cultural assets, including working with the city’s municipalities to restore historic urban structure. He said such an initiative could enhance Kazbin’s historic architecture to national prominence.
“From Medes to the Sasanians and Safavid to the Kajar era, Kazbin has always been a symbol of Iran’s great civilization,” concluded Salehi Amiri. “Many of its cultural heritage remains unexplored, but with the continued efforts of archaeologists, its treasure will gain wider global recognition.”
In the 1930s, British-Italian explorer and travel author Freia Stark described her exploration of her place in her book The Valleys of the Assassins.
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