ARMENIAN MONASTERIES IN IRAN ADDED TO UNESCO HERITAGE LIST

Trend News Agency
July 7 2008
Azerbaijan

UNESCO bolstered the World Heritage List Sunday adding fortified
Armenian monasteries in Iran, dpa reported.

The monasteries, in the north-west of the country, consists of three
sites of the Armenian Christian faith: St Thaddeus and St Stepanos
and the Chapel of Dzordzor. The structures – the oldest of which,
St Thaddeus, dates back to the 7th century ­ are examples of Armenian
architectural and decorative traditions.

"They bear testimony to very important interchanges with the other
regional cultures, in particular the Byzantine, Orthodox and Persian,"
UNESCO said in a press release.

The monasteries were a major centre for the dissemination of Armenian
culture into Azerbayjan and Persia.

"They are the last regional remains of this culture that are still
in a satisfactory state of integrity and authenticity," UNESCO
said. "Furthermore, as places of pilgrimage, the monastic ensembles
are living witnesses of Armenian religious traditions through the
centuries."

The monastery ensemble is the fourth cultural site to be added Sunday
to UNESCOs World Heritage List since the start of the 32nd session of
the World Heritage Committee. The three other properties added were:
Le Morne Cultural Landscape in Mauritius, The Al-Hijr Archaeological
Site (Madain Salih) in Saudi Arabia, and the Fujian Tulou in China.

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