Deputy Head of Iran’s Cultural Heritage, Mohammad Hassan Talebian, said the nomination proposal for the inclusion of ‘Chogan’ in the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage has been submitted to UNESCO on 30 March 2016. The proposal will be presented in UNESCO committee in 2017 after evaluation.
Talebian deemed ‘Zurkhaneh’ martial arts and ‘Chogan’ as ancient Persian sports traces of which can be found in every part of Iran’s ancient history. The oldest Chogan pitch in Iran dates back to Safavid era and is located in Imam Square in Isfahan.
Farhad Nazari, Director General of Iran’s Registry of Sites and Protection and Restoration of Natural and Intangible Heritage Office, said Farahabad and Norouzabad Chogan and equestrian complexes have been inscribed in National Heritage List in 2015 under the index numbers of 31251 and 31410.
