TEHRAN –Iran’s Cultural Heritage, Tourism, and Handicrafts Minister Ezzatollah Zarghami honored some exemplary masters of restoration and cultural heritage activists on Monday, ISNA reported. Seven experienced restorers including Hossein Kamali Ardakani from Yazd province, Sadreddin Shirdel from West Azarbaijan, and Rahim Zamani from Markazi province were honored during the ceremony, which was held at the headquarters of the tourism ministry.

 Azamollah Kazemi from Fars province, Reza Azami and Mehdi Pakdel, both from Isfahan province, and Mohammad Fuladi from Khorasan Razavi were also appreciated. The efforts of Hossein Belali, Mostafa Ashk, and Mahmoud Moradi as activists in the cultural heritage field were recognized during the event as well. In 2019, the tourism ministry announced that some 2,500 historical buildings and structures that are scattered across Iran need restoration. Over the past couple of years, tens of historical places and monuments have been temporarily ceded to the private sector under the supervision of the Revitalization and Utilization Fund for Historical Places.Affiliated with the tourism ministry, the Fund is in charge of concession with the aim of historical sites receiving better maintenance by repurposing them into thriving boutique hotels, eco-lodges, traditional restaurants, or other profitable niches.Iran hosts some of the world’s oldest cultural monuments including bazaars, museums, mosques, bridges, bathhouses, madrasas, gardens, as well as rich natural and rural landscapes, of which 26 have been registered on the UNESCO World Heritage list.ABU/AFM