Intangible Cultural Heritage in UNESCO

Culture

Editorial StaffMarch 10, 2020
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Traditional Skills of Crafting and Playing Dotar in Iran

UNESCO has inscribed the traditional skills of crafting and playing Dotar in Iran as the 14th intangible heritage of Iran.…
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Iranian Music

Rahman MehrabySeptember 8, 2018
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Radif of Iranian Music Inscribed as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Iran

The radif of Iranian music refers to the arrangement of old melodic figures, songs and Iranian classical music which are…
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Culture

Rahman MehrabySeptember 2, 2018
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Traditional Skills of Carpet Weaving in Kashan Astonish All

Traditional skills of carpet weaving in Kashan is one of the most fabulous Iranian fine arts. UNESCO has inscribed this…
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Culture

Rahman MehrabyAugust 1, 2018
1 638

What Do You Know about Traditional Skills of Carpet Weaving in Fars?

The traditional skills of carpet weaving in Fars Province of Iran are the intangible cultural heritage of Iranians in central…
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Culture

Rahman MehrabyJuly 29, 2018
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The Culture of Making Lavash Flatbread & Sharing It in Iran

As an intangible cultural heritage, the culture of making Lavash flatbread and sharing it in Iran has been common and…
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Culture

Rahman MehrabyJuly 26, 2018
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Qalishuyan Rituals of Mashhad-e Ardehal in Kashan Area

The famous “Qalishuyan Rituals” in Mashhad-e Ardehal near Kashan is an intangible cultural heritage inscribed in UNESCO’s list in 2013.…
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Culture

Rahman MehrabyMay 10, 2018
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The Art of Crafting and Playing with Kamancheh

Kamancheh is one of the musical instruments with a long history in the East. Although the track record of this…
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Culture

Rahman MehrabyJanuary 25, 2018
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Chogan (Polo), an Ancient Iranian Horse Riding Game

Iranians have played Chogan (Polo) as an entertaining horse riding game since almost 2500 years ago. It’s an amazing game…
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Culture

Rahman MehrabyDecember 12, 2017
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A Journey to Iran, the Land of Pahlevani and Zoorkhanei Rituals

The Pahlevani and Zoorkhanei rituals are the Iranian cultural heritage and one of the martial arts dating back to ancient…
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Culture

Rahman MehrabyOctober 16, 2017
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Building & Sailing Iranian Lenj Boats, a Traditional Skill in the Persian Gulf

One of the intangible cultural heritage examples in Iran, which is traditionally carried out in the shorelines of the Persian…
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Culture

Rahman MehrabyJuly 24, 2017
0 507

Unique Ritual Dramatic Art of Taziye among Iranians

The ritual dramatic art of Taziye is an intangible cultural heritage of Iranians on UNESCO’s List. It’s a traditional type…
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Traditional Skills of Crafting and Playing Dotar in Iran
UNESCO has inscribed the traditional skills of crafting and playing Dotar in Iran as the 14th intangible heritage of Iran. Dotar is one of the ancient Iranian instruments. Much of the geography of Iran has become accustomed to the music played by Dotar. This is an internal instrument. That means people play it indoors and in peace. Iranians have crafted and played the Persian Dotar for centuries in a vast area. It is also one of the contemporary Iranian musical instruments. The purpose of playing Dotar in Iran is to convey the valuable cultural concepts of Iran to others by music. The global inscribing of Dotar in UNESCO’s list aims for further friendship, peace, and respect. This instrument demonstrates its cultural diversity and human creativity among different groups of people. Quite a diverse range of ethnic groups of different languages play Dotar in Iran. Introduction to the Crafting Skills of Iranian Dotar This instrument is one of the plucked string instruments. It has two strings. During music playing, the player plunk with nails instead of a plectrum. Dotar has a pear-shaped belly and a relatively long neck. There are about 17 to 20 Dastans (segmentations) on the hand. Some local …
Radif of Iranian Music Inscribed as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Iran
The radif of Iranian music refers to the arrangement of old melodic figures, songs and Iranian classical music which are called “gusheh” (short pieces of melody). In October 2009, the radif of Iranian Classical Music, a traditional repertory of Iranian traditional music was inscribed in UNESCO’s list as an intangible cultural heritage of Iran. In recent decades, most Iranian instrument makers were often Iranian-Armenians, and many singers and musicians were Jewish. In the 1960s, some of them emigrated to different parts of the world. Thus, they have promoted the radif of Iranian Classical Music outside their own countries. As a result, Iranian “avaz” (a certain type of singing) and music gained the reputation all over the world. Definition of Radif of Iranian Music Radif is a collection of many traditional Iranian melodies which have been organized by a special order in the form of vocal dastgah (pattern). Radif of Iranian classical music also deals with the collection of gusheh pieces and their orders. The gusheh with the lowest introductory note is called “daramad” which is followed by other gusheh pieces. We may be able to say that the radif of Iranian music is a method of teaching these gusheh pieces, …
Traditional Skills of Carpet Weaving in Kashan Astonish All
Traditional skills of carpet weaving in Kashan is one of the most fabulous Iranian fine arts. UNESCO has inscribed this skill representing the symbol of “city weaving style and Persian weaving style” as an intangible cultural heritage of Iran in 2010. From an artistic point of view, the people of Kashan have been famous for carpet weaving, Qelyabkeshi (dissolving silk resin) and silk weaving. These expressions are originally from Kashan although they are known all over the world today. Foreign art lovers and handicraft enthusiasts are mesmerized by natural dyeing, special and breathtaking Persian weaving texture and unique design of the carpet presented in different sizes. Sialk Historical Mound, the Origin of Traditional Skills of Carpet Weaving in Kashan The historical monuments of this region have revealed that Sialk mounds date back to Hammurabi era. First, people living in the region were known as Kaso or Kasho, which were later changed to Kasyan and Kashan. Some historians believe that Harun al-Rashid’s wife, Zubaidah bint Ja’afar ibn-e Mansur ordered to build Kashan which is now famous for its traditional skills of carpet weaving. Kashan, from the Viewpoint of the Tourists The great world travelers of all time who have traveled to …
What Do You Know about Traditional Skills of Carpet Weaving in Fars?
The traditional skills of carpet weaving in Fars Province of Iran are the intangible cultural heritage of Iranians in central Iran. This province (Fars or Persia) is considered the region of Narenj-o-Toranj, meaning “Orange and bergamot”. It refers to the traditional motifs as well as the agricultural products of the region. Tent-dwelling nomads constitute approximately one-third of the population in the province. They make a living through animal husbandry. The traditional skills of carpet weaving in Fars province produce Fars carpets. This is the souvenir of this province made by nomads called Qashqais. As Fars province is a region with high altitudes and low lands, there can be moderate livable climate and beautiful surroundings in some corners of it during most times of the year. For nomads, this means a motivation to migrate to better places in particular seasons. Such an environment has inspired local people to create such works of art as Fars carpets and rugs, known as Shirazi carpets. Today, due to the large international demands, it’s regarded as an ideal item to export to other countries. Skills of Carpet Weaving in Fars throughout History According to historic documents and pieces of evidence, the traditional skills of carpet weaving …
The Culture of Making Lavash Flatbread & Sharing It in Iran
As an intangible cultural heritage, the culture of making Lavash flatbread and sharing it in Iran has been common and ongoing in different parts of the country for many years. Often times, they bake this flatbread inside an oven called “Tanur”, but nomads bake Lavash on “Saaj”, a metal or stone flat surface. Old Tanurs were generally made of stone or pottery and installed in the ground. Nowadays, however, Lavash bread is baked inside ovens built into the walls. In its 11th gathering, UNESCO organization inscribed the culture of making Lavash flatbread and sharing it as an intangible cultural heritage of Iranians. Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Turkey also share the same tradition with us. Iranians invite everyone from across the world to Iran to get acquainted with this cultural element and to experience the aroma of life in this bread. Culturally speaking, Lavash has been made for regular meals. In addition, this flatbread has been shared at wedding ceremonies, birth times, funeral ceremonies as well as various holidays and sometimes during prayers. The Word “Lavash” & Its History It has roots in Middle Persian Language, Pahlavi. Of course, some researchers believe it had been derived from the Middle East in …