Great Wall of Gorgan to be registered in UNESCO list

Gorgan, IRNA - The Great Wall of Gorgan is a Sassanid-era defense system that has received great attention from Iranian authorities in recent years and has been proposed to the UNESCO to be registered as a World Heritage site.

Hopefully, the registration and domestic attempts to renovate the 195 kilometer-long wall will pave the ground to turn the historical monument into a proper tourist attraction.

The Great Wall is told to have protected the Sassanid Empire. The wall is also called the Red Wall or the Red Snake. It starts in Gomishan and continues along Gildagh Mountains in northeastern Kalaleh. However, a big part of the wall has been ruined and some parts of it are under soil.

The Great Wall of Gorgan is the third greatest wall in the world. Some experts believe that the wall was built when the Great Wall of China was constructed.

The Iranian government plans to introduce the wall to the people of the world and use it as a world heritage site in order to attract tourists.

Managing Director of the Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism of Golestan Province Ahmad Tajarri said that the government allocated 70 billion rials for studies on registration of the wall in the world heritage list.

Experts of tourism industry in Golestan Province have emphasized that the Great Wall of Gorgan can play a key role in enhancing tourism and economy in the northern province, noting that the registration of the historical site in the UNESCO World Heritage List will help attract more domestic and foreign tourists.

It is worth mentioning that the Hyrcanian Forest and Qabbos Tower are two historical sites, which have already been registered in the UNESCO list.

Archaeologists have named the Great Wall of Gorgan as Alexander Barrier, Firuz/Piruz Barrier, Gorgan Defence Wall and the Red Snake, which implies its importance over the passage of time.