Ahvaz World Heritage Sites
Traditional skills of building and sailing Iranian Lenj boats in the Persian Gulf
It has been listed as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage website. Iranian Lenj vessels are traditional, hand-built boats used by the inhabitants of the northern coast of the Persian Gulf for sea journeys, trading, fishing, and pearl diving. The traditional knowledge of Lenjes includes oral literature, performing arts, and festivals, in addition to sailing and navigation techniques and terminology, weather forecasting that is closely associated with sailing, and the skills of wooden boat-building itself.
Susa Archaeological Castle (Shoush)
Shush, located beside ancient Susa, is a city in Khuzestan Province. The Susa Castle is located in the ruins of the ancient city of Susa. Constructed by a French archeologist in the late 1890s, the Castle is similar to medieval monuments in France. In the 6th century BC, Darius the Great gathered materials and people from around the ancient world to set the foundations of a royal complex as impressive as his empire. Apadana Palace was the result. It is now one of the most important parts of the ancient city of Susa (UNESCO World Heritage). The remains of this prototype of ceremonial architecture are now a top attraction of Shush. The site bears exceptional testimony to the Elamite, Persian, and Parthian cultural traditions, which have largely disappeared.
Shushtar Historical Hydraulic System
Shushtar is an ancient city, located 92 kilometers outside of Ahvaz, Khuzestan Province. During the Sassanian era, it was an island city on the Karun River and was selected as the summer capital for the king. However, the history of this masterpiece of creative genius and civil engineering structure can be traced back to Darius the Great in the 5th century BC. The property has an ensemble of remarkable sites including the Salâsel Castel, the operation center of the entire hydraulic system, the tower where the water level is measured, damns, bridges, basins, and mills.
Choghā Zanbīl Ziggurat
Choga Zambil (meaning large basket-shaped hill), is an almost 5000-year-old ruined palace and temple complex of the ancient Elamite city of Dur Untashi (Dur Untash), near Susa in the Khuzestan region of southwestern Iran. The complex consists of a magnificent ziggurat (the largest structure of its kind in Iran), temples, and three palaces. The site was added to UNESCO’s World Heritage List in 1979. A building on the grounds contains five vaulted underground tombs, four of which are cremated remains, and there is one uncremated corpse. The Elamites traditionally buried their dead, and the reason for the cremation is unknown.
