What did the neighbors do in Iran’s neglect?
The 17th intergovernmental committee for the protection of UNESCO’s intangible heritage ends its work while the registration of several intangible heritages in the name of neighboring countries has become a reaction to Iran’s neglect and silence. In this period of the meeting of the International Committee for the Protection of Intangible Heritage, Iran had jointly proposed 6 cases with several neighboring countries to UNESCO for world registration, among which four cases were “Art of making and playing oud”, “Yalda/Cele night”. , “Turkmen Needlework”, “Silkworm Breeding and Traditional Production of Silk for Weaving” were registered globally, and two files “Mehrgan Festival” and “Art of making and playing the Robab instrument” were not accepted and returned.
But in the meantime, the registration of the file “Pahlavani Culture: Traditional Zurkhaneh Games, Sports and Wrestling” in the name of Azerbaijan in UNESCO has provoked protests and reactions from many professors and cultural heritage experts. This case was nationally registered by the Republic of Azerbaijan, while it was proposed to UNESCO and in the 17th International Committee for the Protection of Intangible Heritage, Iran had previously registered “ancient and violent sports” in its name in UNESCO in 2010.
The examination and voting of the case of Pahlavi Culture: Traditional Zurkhaneh Games, Sports and Wrestling in the name of the Republic of Azerbaijan” was also done in this period of the UNESCO meeting, while from Iran, in addition to Ahmad Paktachi – Iran’s Ambassador to UNESCO – Ali Darabi – Deputy Minister of Cultural Heritage , Tourism and Handicrafts and the Deputy Minister of Cultural Heritage – as well as Mustafa Pourali – Director General of Registration and Protection of Antiquities and Preservation and Revitalization of Spiritual and Natural Heritage – were present at the chosen place of this meeting in Morocco, and these questions were raised that why the Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and handicrafts and its representatives did not have a serious position towards the action of the Republic of Azerbaijan? Why didn’t the Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts protest when this case was placed on the UNESCO website, considering the Iranian roots of ancient and martial arts and martial arts culture, as well as registering its case in UNESCO, and kept the issue silent? If not, what were the reactions and follow-ups and why was it not announced publicly?
You can also read the list of Iran’s world heritage registered in UNESCO.
Iran registered the file of ancient and powerlifting sports in UNESCO on November 25, 2009, while according to the head of the Federation of Wrestling and Powerlifting Sports, there had been continuous efforts for four years to prepare and register this intangible heritage in the name of Iran. Now, instead of joining this case, the Republic of Azerbaijan submitted a separate case to UNESCO to register the “Pahlavi culture” in its name.
Apart from this case, in the 17th International Committee for the Safeguarding of UNESCO’s Intangible Heritage, “Tea culture, a symbol of identity, hospitality and social interaction” shared by Turkey and the Republic of Azerbaijan, “Melan Nasreddin’s Narrative” by the Republic of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkey , Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and “date palm, knowledge, skill, tradition and method of its preparation” in the name of the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Tunisia and Yemen have been registered globally, without mentioning their Iranian origins and the Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts reacting, objecting or even taking a stance on the registration of these cases.
“Narrative of Melan Nasreddin” in the 17th Intergovernmental Committee of UNESCO’s Intangible Heritage named after the Republic of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan,
Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan were registered globally
Molan Nasreddin is considered a fictional and witty character in Iranian, Afghan, Turkish, Uzbek, Arabic, Caucasian, Indian, Pakistani, and Bosnian folklore.
On the other hand, in this period of UNESCO’s Intangible Heritage Summit, Afghanistan had proposed a national file entitled “Miniature Art Style of Master Kamaluddin Behzad” to be included in the representative list, which, of course, was not accepted by UNESCO’s expert’s opinion and could be referred. And the review was done in the next meeting. During the examination of this case, there was no mention of Iran’s reaction or opposition. This is while Ustad Kamaluddin Behzad, although he was born in Herat, was an Iranian painter in the court of the Timurid and Safavid kings in the 9th and 10th centuries AH and is known for innovation in Iranian painting (painting). According to his trip to Tabriz, it has been suggested that Kamaluddin Behzad spent the end of his life in this city and died there. There is also a tomb attributed to him in Tabriz city. Although some believe that he was buried in Herat.
Anyway, this action of Afghanistan took place while the miniature art (Iranian painting) was registered in UNESCO on December 26, 2019 under the names of Iran, Turkey, Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan, and by the way, after that, the possibility of joining Afghanistan and Tajikistan as well. A multinational case was raised, but now Afghanistan intends to use the miniature art style of Ustad Behzad in a national case.
The confiscation or monopolization of spiritual and intangible heritage rooted in Iran by the neighboring countries that are in Iran’s cultural sphere, that too in the silence and neglect of the cultural heritage custodians of our country, has been a precedent, for example “Ayin Sama” which In 2008, it was registered globally under the name of Turkey, or “Ashiqlar Music” which was registered in Iran in 2009 under the name of the Republic of Azerbaijan, and even “Traditional Art of Azerbaijan Carpet Weaving” and “Tar Making and Performance” which were registered in 2010 and In 2012, the name of the Republic of Azerbaijan entered the UNESCO World Intangible Heritage List. In 2013, the Republic of Azerbaijan filed a case titled “Football; “Traditional game with horses in the Karabakh region” was registered in the endangered heritage list, although the organization of cultural heritage objected to it before the registration, but during the voting, there was no opposition to the world registration of polo.
The representatives of Turkey and the Republic of Azerbaijan after the world registration of tea culture at the meeting of the Committee for the Protection of Intangible Heritage in UNESCO
In 1392, after registering the web in the name of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Yadullah Permon, as the head of Tehran’s Intangible Heritage Center and a member of the Intangible Cultural Heritage Teachers’ Network, had an interview with ISNA, in which he said about Iran’s silence and late reactions to such actions: Every work cannot prevent another country from registering the same work, because intangible cultural heritage, unlike tangible cultural heritage, is a moving and dynamic category that moves along with the movement of nations.
He also said this: In order to register intangible heritage, one cannot rely on categories such as antiquity, originality and perfection and said that despite having these characteristics in the field of intangible heritage of a country, other countries do not have the right to register that work. Basically, these cases are raised in a discussion called “competition” and competition in the field of intangible cultural heritage is rejected. The meaning of the competition is to say, for example, that “Tar of Iran” is older than “Tar of the Republic of Azerbaijan”, as a result, only Iran can register this thread and the Republic of Azerbaijan does not have the right to register it, because, for example, the Republic of Azerbaijan has recently become a country has become independent. In the registration of intangible cultural heritage, it is enough to prove in the registration file that the cultural category submitted to UNESCO has been dynamically present in the community in question for several generations and continues to function as a living heritage, this is enough to register the work.
Of course, Permon also added the point that registration in UNESCO is an activity that should encourage peace, friendship and solidarity; But with the current situation, it can be said that registration in UNESCO has become a competition, at least in the field of intangible cultural heritage, and it is felt that some countries are creating a quota for themselves by doing this, and on the other hand, during this program, a series of demands and Exploitation is done by some countries, which is not among the goals of UNESCO.
Although cultural heritage officials and custodians believe that the registration of one work by another country does not close the way for others and intangible heritage is not completely confiscated or monopolized due to its cultural scope, but it seems that UNESCO’s quota limit Intangible heritage registration, which each country can only register one work per year, along with the negligence and opportunism of the cultural heritage custodians and sometimes the political activities of some countries, has caused Iran to be left behind in the competition with its neighbors from registering some spiritual works and intangible heritage. And the name of other countries should sit on the forehead of this heritage.