Iran’s Golestan Palace Inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List

June 25, 2013, Washington, D.C. – Iran’s prestigious Golestan Palace has been added to the UNESCO World Heritage List, the top honor for monuments, buildings, sites or natural features “of outstanding universal value.”

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization made the decision on Sunday during the World Heritage Committee’s 37th annual session held in the Cambodian capital, Phnom Penh.

The World Heritage Committee describes the palace as “a masterpiece of the Qajar era, embodying the successful integration of earlier Persian crafts and architecture with Western influences.”

Golestan Palace was originally built in Tehran in the 16th century, during the Safavid Dynasty. Built around a garden featuring pools as well as planted areas, the palace’s most characteristic features date from the 19th century, when the ruling Qajar family selected the palace as the royal residence and seat of power. The palace was a centre of Qajari arts and architecture, and initiated a new style incorporating traditional Persian arts and crafts, as well as elements of 18th century architecture and technology.

Golestan Palace joins other prominent Iranian sites on the UNESCO World Heritage List, including Armenian monastic ensembles of Iran, Bam and its cultural landscape, Naqsh-e Jahan Square, Pasargadae, Persepolis, and many others.

Click here to view the full list of properties in Iran currently inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List.