Tehran Intangible Heritage Center invited envoys and representatives of West and Central Asia to discuss the intangible heritage of the region, IRNA reported.
Sa’dabad cultural historical complex hosted the event on January 14. The head of Iran’s Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization (ICHHTO) Masud Soltanifar urged the regional countries to join the convention on intangible heritage protection.
The meeting of the representatives from West and Central Asia aimed to introduce Tehran Intangible Heritage Center, and use the platform to promote the region’s culture.
Cultural ties can help reinforce peace, friendship, cooperation, and sustainable development among countries. Seemingly disparate nations have many things in common, Soltanifar said.
There are nine regional intangible heritage centers worldwide, operating under the supervision of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Soltanifar was pleased that Iran was chosen as one of the regional centers.
In 2012, Tehran Intangible Heritage Center started its official activities to protect the intangible heritage of West and Central Asia.
Soltanifar however was somewhat critical of the convention claiming it was weak in implementation, lacking operational leadership, as well as local, national, and regional infrastructure, promotion, public awareness, and joint planning.
Tehran Intangible Heritage Center’s responsibilities includes promoting the 2003 convention, making it operational across West and Central Asia, developing regional infrastructure, identifying, listing, documenting, and studying the intangible heritage items, Soltanifar said. He however said that the center can only attain its objectives when all the regional countries come to help.
Iran, Kazakhstan, and Tajikistan are members of Tehran Intangible Heritage Center. Soltanifar invited 21 other countries to join the center, namely, Kyrgyzstan, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Afghanistan, Jordan, Syria, Palestine, Lebanon, Uzbekistan, Pakistan, Turkey, Yemen, Iraq, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, United Emirates, and Turkmenistan.
Intangible heritage entails non physical aspects of cultures, mainly those involving traditions and rituals of a time period. This includes, aesthetic norms, spiritual beliefs, artistic expressions, language, and public official laws ensuring functionality in certain cultural spaces. In other terms, intangible heritage includes the part of the culture which has been transferred orally.
