Six sites added to Iran’s National Cultural Heritage List

TEHRAN,Dec.31(MNA) -- Vahdat Hall, the Iranian Research Institute of Plant Protection, the building of the Iranology Foundation, Vali-e Asr Avenue in Tehran and the prehistoric mounds Khomarabad and Sadeqabad in the town of Rey have been registered on Iran’s National Cultural Heritage List on Wednesday. Vahdat Hall was constructed by order of Iranian queen Farah in 1967. It was named after the Persian classical poet Rudaki (c. 859-940). Persian American architect Eugene Aftandilian, who studied in Iran, designed the structure. The hall used to be considered as one of ten best-equipped halls in the world when it was established. The hall was renamed Vahdat Hall after the victory of the Islamic revolution in 1979. Vahdat is an Arabic word meaning unification. The Iranian Research Institute of Plant Protection, which was established in 1943, is important for the variety of species of plants and insects kept in the center. At 18.6 kilometers in length and lined with old sycamore trees, Vali-e Asr Avenue is the longest street of Iran and the Middle East. The avenue, which was laid out during the reign of Reza Shah (1925-1941), was initially called Pahlavi. The avenue extends from Rahahan Square in the south to Tajrish Square in the north. After the victory of the Islamic revolution, it was renamed after Mohammad Mosaddeq, the former prime minister who is viewed as an icon by many Iranians for his decision to nationalize the oil industry. Shortly thereafter, the avenue was renamed Vali-e Asr, an epithet of Imam Mahdi (AS). The building of the Iranology Foundation was registered on the list due to its unique architecture that resembles the monuments that have survived from the Seljuks, several Turkish dynasties that ruled over large parts of Asia from the 11th to the 13th centuries.