Trans-Iranian Railway

Outstanding Universal Value

Brief synthesis

The 1,394-km-long Trans-Iranian Railway (TIR) connects the Caspian Sea in the north to the Persian Gulf in the south of Iran. Opened fully in 1938, the railway is a busy main line of standard track gauge 1,435 mm.

The Trans-Iranian Railway combines spectacular mountain settings with sustained steep mountain grades less than 3.0%, which is today considered the maximum practical mountain railway grade. Railways with grades steeper than 3% have proven problematic to operate. The property’s mountain railway design hits the critical design balance point between the outstanding and the impractical. Its exceptional mountain railway scale is also exhibited by the proliferation of major engineering structures en route namely: 174 large bridges, 186 smaller bridges, 224 tunnels, including 11 spiral tunnels and 89 train stations. These structures are distinguished by the high quality of their 1930s construction, which has enabled them to survive to the present day in as-built condition.

The Trans-Iranian Railway represents the expansion of the modern state power in the 20th century in a specific non-colonised Asian context within active involvement of national capital and stakeholders. The role of the railway industry in the social, economic, industrial and cultural growth of Iran and the region, as well as in international trade and transactions, is undeniable. Not only has this railway boosted the economy and trade by speeding up transportation, but it has also made cultural interactions and social relations with West-Asian countries and from there with Europe and beyond, possible.

Historically, several trade routes such as the Silk Road and the Spice Route, which linked together the continents of Asia, Africa and Europe, passed through Iran. As a matter of fact, the construction of the Trans-Iranian Railway in the early 20th century emphasises the key role of the region in global communication practices in terms of cultural, commercial, social and even political relations. It has led to the propagation of trade and the sharing of diverse rites, ceremonies and religious beliefs among various regions in the early 20th century, especially in West and Central Asia.

The advantage of Iran’s late start was that important lessons learned about railways by other countries were applied in Iran from the outset. For example: foreign investment and control was avoided; standard gauge was adopted enabling future links to Europe; moderate gradients were specified despite the extensive mountain terrain; powerful locomotives enabled; aerial photogrammetric surveying optimized the route through rugged terrain; and some of the world’s best design and construction talent was engaged. Such significant factors enabled the design and construction of an exceptional railway in Iran.

Following the construction of the Trans-Iranian Railway, a new style of mixed Persian-Western architecture was created which influenced the Iranian architecture of its time. Moreover, the architectural design of train stations, personnel residences, warehouses, fuel storage depots, affiliated industries and the majority of buildings along the rail route has been done by using modern materials and following an eclectic style consisting of local and Western architecture. Consequently, this style became part of the architectural identity of each region.

Since its inception, the Trans-Iranian Railway continues to play a key role in the rural and urban life of the region. At the same time, it has continually served as a crucial factor in trade and cultural transactions between the region and other near and far countries. It has served as the turning point for all-embracing developments in the region covering a wide spectrum of various economic, political, commercial, social, cultural, and later touristic aspects at a critical juncture of the contemporary history of the world.

Criterion (ii): The Trans-Iranian Railway is the living manifestation of the multi-faceted interchange of human values, represented by the application of railway skills and experience in railway construction, leading to the emergence of a mixed Iranian-Western architectural style. The Trans-Iranian Railway boosted the economy and trade by speeding up transportation, which led to the revival of cultural-historical routes such as the Silk Road and the Spice Route at a specific period in the contemporary history in Central and West Asia during the early 20th century. This practice was later expanded to European countries. The Trans-Iranian Railway also served to connect the Persian Gulf to the Caspian Sea.

In addition, at the time it was built, the Trans-Iranian Railway promoted exemplary project management, which was achieved as a result of the successful working relations established between the Iranian Government, the project managers and the 40 Iranian or international companies established in 43 construction zones en route with a totally deployed work force of over 65,000 engineers, office staff members and labourers.

Located in a mountainous landscape, the Trans-Iranian Railway proved an outstanding tool for solving unexpected problems, an achievement owing to the international breadth of experience that was applied in its construction, enabling the Trans-Iranian Railway project, overall, to stay on time and on budget.

Criterion (iv): The Trans-Iranian Railway is a fine example of a technological and architectural ensemble representing major stages of long-term development of human, technical and economic activities as early as the 20th century, in Western Asia. It played a unique role in the modernization of Iran. This role was firstly maintained through the function of the Trans-Iranian Railway in importing and domesticating western technologies, and secondly through national financing, enabling and also managing construction activities and their implementation, and finally through its unique impact on the country's social, economic, and cultural spheres. It has also caused a huge increase in trade, and cultural and economic relations between different regions within Iran and between Iran and other countries of the region. Thus, it has marked a significant and decisive stage in the process of the historical development of Iran and other countries of the region. This altogether paved the way for later communication and transportation activities with many parts of the world. The Trans-Iranian Railway is the embodiment of the creative usage of various technologies aimed at gaining access to plains, highlands, forests and coastal regions at both ends of the country and linking the northern and southern shores of Iran.

Integrity

The Trans-Iranian Railway is of adequate size to contain all the identified attributes needed to demonstrate its Outstanding Universal Value. It includes all the facets of the historic Trans-Iranian Railway with its key supporting infrastructure, engineering works and architectural elements. The physical fabric of the property is mostly in good condition and its integrity and technical function, and social use has been well maintained. In other words, the integrity of the property in its setting has been well preserved concerning its physical and technical aspects. Some development pressure is seen in urban areas, and there is also a general pressure to modernize and increase the efficiency of the railway, which need to be monitored.

Authenticity

All constituting parts of the Trans-Iranian Railway (its rail route, tunnels, bridges, train stations, buildings and other appurtenances) have largely preserved their authenticity in terms of location, setting, form, design, materials, use and function even if some elements have been upgraded or replaced. Some sections of the original rail line have been enlarged or slightly modified. However, altogether, the Trans-Iranian Railway is a living and dynamic industrial and engineering structure that enjoys a good degree of authenticity thanks to the existence of laws and regulations for buffer zones, as well as technical, visual and functional requirements.

Protection and management requirements

The Trans-Iranian Railway is registered on the national list of heritage monuments (No. 31906) and has been regulated by the legislation governing cultural heritage since 2017. It enjoys the highest national level of protection. Twenty-two individual buildings and structures have also been registered on the national list of monuments and are thus protected by cultural heritage law both as single buildings and as elements of the Trans-Iranian Railway. The property, the buffer zone and the landscape zone are protected by laws put in place by the Department of Environment, under the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran (Article 45 and Article 50); the Act of Conservation and Optimization of the Environment; the Criminal Islamic Law for Destruction of Natural Heritage, 1996; and Book Five of the Islamic Penal Code (dissuasive penalties).

The property is centrally managed by the Trans-Iranian Railway Office, which is part of the Iranian Railway Company. The Office’s Steering Committee is responsible for reviewing conservation-related issues for the property and the buffer zone as well as consultation and coordination regarding inter-organizational issues. A representative of the Iranian Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts is member to this committee and takes care of heritage aspects related to the property’s management. A Technical Committee is responsible for policies and decision-making pertaining to conservation issues as well as interdepartmental coordination of technical issues within the company.

Since its establishment, the Trans-Iranian Railway has had a comprehensive plan for management and conservation. The conservation and management plans of the property in the domains of planning, implementation, restoration, maintenance, supervision, evaluation and feedback have been devised and are stored in relevant data banks. The railway has a management master plan for long-term conservation in sections related to: technological, non-technological, operational, financial, commercial, safety, security, civil engineering, mechanics, electricity, signals and telecommunications. These plans preserve methods and processes which guarantee the continued existence of rail links in accordance with the Outstanding Universal Value.

A continued balance between the managerial and conservation activities is dedicated to sustaining the safety of the operation of the Trans-Iranian Railway and the attributes of its Outstanding Universal Value, which are jointly carried out by the IMCHTH and the Iranian Railway Company and are key to guaranteeing the long-term sustenance of the Outstanding Universal Value of the property. Documenting, monitoring and conserving the historic buildings and other elements that are no longer in use is needed. In this trend, it is also required to complete relevant inventories through a thorough documentation of all tangible features that address cultural elements (such as buildings). This activity is required to be pursued at the same level of detail as carried out for the inventorying of the engineering elements.