TEHRAN - Iran is preparing an all-inclusive dossier for its Mount Sabalan to have the inactive stratovolcano registered on the UNESCO World Heritage list. The pick is situated in Ardebil province in the extreme northwest of the country.
With its pristine nature, different architectures, bas-reliefs, valleys, and rivers, as well as its nomads and mountainous life with special culture and lifestyle, Sabalan seems qualified for being on the prestigious list; IRNA quoted the provincial tourism chief Nader Fallahi as saying on Sunday.
The inclusion of Sabalan on the list could promote and boost tourism in the region, attracting more domestic and foreign tourists to the province, the official added.
At 4,794 meters in elevation, Sabalan, also called Savalan, is the third highest mountain of Iran, after Damavand and Alamkuh. A composite volcano, a beautiful lake is formed on Sabalan’s top. Even though Sabalan is covered with snow most time of the year, there are many hot springs in the foothills of this vast mountain.
Sabalan is highly regarded in the culture of local people, as well. Many believe it to be the birthplace of Zoroaster, as many books mention him descending from this mountain.
Sabalan has become one of the centers of beekeeping and growing herbal plants because of this vegetation.
With 24 entries, Iran ranks 10th in the world in terms of the number of historical monuments and sites registered on the UNESCO World Heritage list.
Amongst the UNESCO-designated sites in Iran are “Arg-e Bam” (Bam Citadel) that represents an outstanding example of an ancient fortified settlement, “Bisotun” in western Kermanshah province, which is notable for its Achaemenid-era inscription carved on a limestone cliff, lavish “Golestan Palace” in downtown Tehran which is a masterpiece of the Qajar era (1789 to 1925), and millennium-old “Gonbad-e Qabus” which is a mudbrick tomb tower for Qabus ibn Wushmagir.