Iran’s 29 UNESCO Sites Layer by Layer
Caption
Iran has 29 UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Stacked by when they began, 14 of the 23 with a datable start began before Islam, from Susa (late 5th millennium BCE) to Persepolis. Only two are modern. Six more are natural or layered, like the Lut Desert and the qanats.
Short takes
Shahr-e Sukhteh, “the Burnt City” (c. 3200–1800 BCE), has yielded some of the oldest finds of their kind, including a backgammon-like board set and an artificial eye about 4,800 years old.
Which Iranian site belongs on the UNESCO list but isn’t there yet? Name one and tell us why.
Image description
Stacked strata chart of Iran’s UNESCO sites from modern (top) to Stone Age (bottom), with each site as a chip in the era where it began, and a dashed box for six natural or layered sites without a single start date.
