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Tentative Lists Silk Route (Also as Silk Road)

Silk Route (Also as Silk Road)

Date of Submission: 05/02/2008
Criteria: (i)
Category: Cultural
Submitted by:
Iranian Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization
State, Province or Region:
Khorasan Province
Ref.: 5268
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The Tentative Lists of States Parties are published by the World Heritage Centre at its website and/or in working documents in order to ensure transparency, access to information and to facilitate harmonization of Tentative Lists at regional and thematic levels.

The sole responsibility for the content of each Tentative List lies with the State Party concerned. The publication of the Tentative Lists does not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever of the World Heritage Committee or of the World Heritage Centre or of the Secretariat of UNESCO concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its boundaries.

Property names are listed in the language in which they have been submitted by the State Party

Description

The Silk Route is a corridor that is stretched mainly east to west and has connected all Asian and European civilizations to each other. It can play an important role at the present time. Here, the part which is located in the political geography of Iran is nominated for inscription in the World Heritage List (Tentative List).

Justification of Outstanding Universal Value

The Silk Route networks and all properties -providing different kinds of services- that have been situated all along this route met the following criteria:

I. The Silk Route, along with the neighboring immovable cultural properties as well as its natural and cultural landscapes, is the longest route and the unique property that extends over the territory of a single civilization. It has been created by different societies adjacent to this route through time for economical-commercial purposes. Moreover, mass emigrations have used this route. This route has not been constructed by a single country. All people who settled down along this route (corridor) contributed their shares for its construction.

Statements of authenticity and/or integrity

The Silk Route is the most well-known trading route of different civilizations. Obviously, Iran has been located at the crossroad of the Silk Route. According to the geological situation of the plateau of Iran which locates between two main seas on the north and south, and as it is situated among two signiJicant civilizations, it can provide authenticity for itselJ: Afer all, the direction of east to west vice versa of the Route could share a great contribution to the development of human civilization during various periods of time. The aftermath of such an interaction between human and nature was an expanded management system through years that could organize this cultural road and created an integrated system.

Comparison with other similar properties

The Silk Route is the longest route all around the globe. This corridor has connected four civilizations and according to archeological findings, the prehistoric human beings resided around most of its spots.
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