TEHRAN – In a groundbreaking announcement at the 47th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee on Friday, the prehistoric site of the Koramabad Valley has been officially engraved on UNESCO’s list of World Heritage Sites.
This is Iran’s historic first. For the first time, a cluster of sites representing the Paleostone Age has received this honorable recognition.
Dr. Ata Hassanpur, Director of Lorestan Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts, emphasized the importance of the appointment. He explained to the Tehran Times that “the Institute was prepared by an interdisciplinary team by archaeologists, tourism experts and heritage experts, including the Iranian Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Intangible and Natural Heritage, Handiaraft, and the Office for Preservation, Preservation and Regeneration of Inscriptions of the Editors of Handara, Lorestan, Shahid Beheshti University, and the National Museum of Iran.”
He added: “Situated in the heart of the West Zagros Mountains, the Horamabad Valley has long served as a cultural and ecological corridor linking Mesopotamia, the Iranian Heights and Central Asia. Its dramatic Kartic landscapes go beyond caves, rock shelters and ongoing agricultural farming sites, beyond caves, rock shelters and tame human farmlands. Neolithic, Calkolithic, Bronze Age.”
Dr. Jebrael Nokandeh, general director of the Iranian National Museum, welcomed the UNESCO inscription and highlighted the museum’s active role in the nomination process. He noted that in 2024 the museum chose key artifacts for Yafekeib, Kunzi Cave, Gar Agen, Gamali Cave and Tappai Budul Hossein to support the creation of a new prehistoric gallery and the redesign of the historical gallery of the Laurestan Archer Erosie Museum.
The exhibition was launched in September 2024 in front of ICOMOS evaluator Dr. Hatice Pamir, and has highlighted the cultural transition for thousands of years at Khorramabad Valley. Dr. Nokande also emphasized that the Museum’s Paleolithic archaeologists played a direct role in the scientific documentation of the cave for their appointment. He concluded: “The inscription sets the Khorramabad Valley as a globally recognized reference point for the preservation and interpretation of Iran’s Paleostone heritage and the broader prehistoric landscape of Zagros.”
Professor John D. Spess, professor emeritus and president emeritus of anthropology at the University of Michigan, who excavated the Kunji cave in 1969, told the Tehran Times:
“Adding the site of the Paleostone Caves in Iran’s Horamabad Valley to the UNESCO World Heritage List is truly wonderful news and an important recognition of the importance of anatomically and behaviorally understanding the origins and global spread of modern human beings. Archaeological, fossil, and genetic evidence has come together to demonstrate our species. It spreads in Asia and Europe about 65,000 years ago. “Archive-style” population.
He added warmly. “We are deeply honored that our work at Kunji Cave in 1971, along with its rich Chinese ancient stone formations, contributed to this related document along with the later Calcolithic and Bronze Age burials. The enduring kindness and hospitality of the majestic valley of Khorramabad and the circle of people who welcomed us half a century ago.”
Dr. Fereidon Biglali, dean of the Iranian National Museum, contributed to the appointment of UNESCO and led the recent excavation at Gamali Cave, one of the main sites in the Holamabad Valley. Includes material culture, self-sufficiency strategies and potential interactions with early homo sapiens that entered the Zagros region 45,000 years ago, Lifeway is the heart of understanding one of the most important chapters in human evolutionary history.
Dr. Mohammad Hassan Talebian, technical and scientific supervisor of the document, said, “The inscription not only celebrates Iran’s rich prehistoric heritage, but also reaffirms its growing leadership in archaeological research and heritage conservation. He said, “Khorramabad Valley stands as a global reference point for early human history, providing a model for the preservation and interpretation of prehistoric cultural landscapes.”
Among the most important parts of the valley is the Jafe Cave, revealing some of the earliest evidence of the region’s iconic behavior by Homo sapiens. Equally notable, Gamali’s Cave Reserve follows the occupation of Neanderthal followed by a chalcolithic pastoral community, providing important data on changing populations and evolving cultures in Southwest Asia.
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