The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage Sites are places of importance to cultural or natural heritage as described in the UNESCO World Heritage Convention, established in 1972.[2] Iran accepted the convention on 26 February 1975, making its historical sites eligible for inclusion on the list. As of 2024, twenty-eight sites in Iran are included.[1]
The first three sites in Iran, Meidan Naghshe Jahan, Isfahan, Persepolis and Tchogha Zanbil, were inscribed on the list at the 3rd Session of the World Heritage Committee, held in Cairo and Luxor, Egypt in 1979.[3] They remained the Islamic Republic's only listed properties until 2003, when Takht-e Soleyman was added to the list.[4] The latest addition was the Hyrcanian forests, inscribed in 2019.
In addition to its inscribed sites, Iran also lists more than 50 properties on its tentative list.[5]