Qasr-e Shirin’s tourism chief believes that the Sassanid ruins of the western Iranian city have high potential to be registered on the UNESCO World Heritage list.1

Within the Sassanid complex of Qasr Shirin, there are four significant traces of the Sassanid period, including Khosrow's mansion, Chahar-Qapi fire temple, Ban fortress, and a water-supply canal, the official explained.

Qasr-e Shirin’s ensemble is a part of a Sassanid axis stretched from Iran’s Kangavar to ancient Ctesiphon, now situated in Modern Iran, the official said.

The two neighboring countries seek to introduce this cultural heritage axis by doing their best to have it registered in the UNESCO list of World Heritage, he added.

Last October, a new round of archaeological excavation was commenced in Qasr-e Shirin city to shed new light on its history.

Inscribed in UNESCO’s Tentative list of Cultural Heritage, the historical ensemble of Qasr-e Shirin comprises architectural and urban remains from the late Sassanian period and the early Islamic periods such as the palace of Khosrau II, the Chahar-Qapi monument, Ban Qal'eh and the remains of a Safavid caravansary.

The name of the city means “The castle of Shirin” who was the wife of Khosrau II, the Sasanian king (r. 590 - 628).

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• 1. “A Sassanid collection in this city has a very high potential for world (UNESCO) registration, which we are pursuing this important point to introduce these unique works to the whole world,” the tourism chief of the ancient city said on Wednesday.