“The Trans-Iranian Railway connects the Caspian Sea in the northeast with the Persian Gulf in the southwest crossing two mountain ranges as well as rivers, highlands, forests and plains, and four different climatic areas,” UNESCO said of the railway.
Construction of the railway started in 1927 under the rule of Reza Shah Pahlavi and was finished in 1938. The design and execution of the 1,394 kilometer-long railway was done by the Iranian government and contractors from many countries. The project was fully funded by national taxes as the government was trying to avoid foreign investment and control.
“Its construction involved extensive mountain cutting in some areas, while the rugged terrain in others dictated the construction of 174 large bridges, 186 small bridges and 224 tunnels, including 11 spiral tunnels,” UNESCO stated.
The World Heritage List includes 1,129 sites around the world valued for their distinct and important cultural or natural importance. Fifty-one of them are considered endangered.
Iran’s railway is the 25th site in the Islamic Republic added to the list. The Lut Desert and Hyrcanian Forests are the only two natural Iranian sites named.
On Sunday, UNESCO also added Quanzhou: Emporium of the World in Song in China, Kakatiya Rudreshwara (Ramappa) Temple in India, Paseo del Prado and Buen Retiro, a landscape of Arts and Sciences in Spain to its World Heritage List.
