TEHRAN -- Iran will present three nominations for inscription on UNESCO’s intangible cultural heritage lists at the organization’s upcoming international committee meeting in China, highlighting traditions that reflect the country’s cultural diversity, historical connections and generations-old practices.
Hassan Fartousi, secretary-general of the Iranian National Commission for UNESCO, announced that the nominations will be considered at the 21st session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, scheduled to take place in Xiamen, China, from November 30 to December 5, 2026.
The three nominations are The tradition of honoring water and rain, Tirgān/Vardavar; Traditions of baby cradling and singing lullabies; and Traditional felt making. They reflect both the diversity of Iran’s living heritage and its cultural connections with neighboring countries.
The Tirgan/Vardavar nomination has been jointly submitted by Iran and Armenia. The tradition of baby cradling and singing lullabies is a joint nomination involving Iran, Turkmenistan and Tajikistan, while traditional felt-making has been submitted by eight countries: Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Tajikistan, Türkiye and Uzbekistan.
Fartousi said the Iranian delegation will present the three nominations at the meeting in China, expressing hope that the committee’s decisions would bring further international recognition to the country’s cultural heritage.
Among the nominations, Tirgan/Vardavar represents a cultural tradition centered on the celebration and honoring of water and rain. Shared by communities in Iran and Armenia, the practice reflects the longstanding cultural importance of water, its association with life and renewal, and the role of seasonal celebrations in bringing communities together.
The second nomination focuses on the traditions of baby cradling and singing lullabies, forms of cultural expression transmitted through generations.
 These practices bring together music, oral tradition, family life and the relationship between parents and children, preserving melodies, rhythms and cultural knowledge through everyday interactions.
The third nomination concerns traditional felt-making, a craft practised across several countries in Central and West Asia. Based on the processing and pressing of wool fibers into felt, the craft reflects generations of accumulated knowledge and skills associated with pastoral life, traditional materials and the production of everyday objects.
The multinational nature of the nominations also highlights the shared cultural heritage that connects communities beyond national borders, demonstrating how traditional practices can be preserved through cooperation and collective safeguarding efforts.
Iran currently has 27 elements and programs recorded within UNESCO’s intangible cultural heritage mechanisms. If the three nominations are approved, the number of entries associated with the country will rise to 30, according to the Iranian National Commission for UNESCO.
The latest Iranian inscription was Ayeneh-Kari, the art of mirror-work in Persian architecture, added to the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2025.
The craft involves decorating architectural surfaces, including ceilings, walls, domes and columns, with carefully cut pieces of mirror arranged in geometric and other decorative patterns. The practice combines several specialized skills and is transmitted through apprenticeships, workshops and family traditions.
Iran’s other internationally recognized traditions cover a wide range of cultural practices, including Nowruz, the Mehregan ceremony, the Sadeh celebration, Yaldā/Chella, traditional carpet weaving, Iranian music, Ta‘zīye, Naqqāli and the art of crafting and playing the Dotār.
The country’s intangible heritage also encompasses traditional knowledge and craftsmanship, including Turkmen-style needlework, the art of illumination, traditional silk production, the crafting of the oud and rubab, and the culture of making and sharing traditional flatbreads.
In addition to inscriptions on the Representative List, Iran has also registered its National program to safeguard the traditional art of calligraphy in Iran on UNESCO’s Register of Good Safeguarding Practices in 2021. Meanwhile, Naqqāli, or Iranian dramatic storytelling, and the traditional skills of building and sailing Iranian Lenj boats in the Persian Gulf are included on the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding.
Fartousi said preparations for the three nominations have involved several Iranian institutions, including the National Commission for UNESCO, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts.
Representatives of these institutions, together with experts and specialists involved in preparing the nomination files, are expected to attend the meeting in Xiamen.