Tangible Cultural Heritage

Jolfa has been particularly important since BC because of its strategic geographical location and its well-known cultural heritage. The history of Jolfa is dated back to the 5th century BC and it therefore has numerous monuments.

 

Saint Stepanos Church

The most important monument in the ​​Aras Geopark is St. Stepanos Church-Monastery, which is the second well-known Armenian Church in Iran. It was built in the 9th century. This church has damaged by an earthquake but during the Safavid era, it has renovated. The Holy Stepanos Church is located 16 km west of Jolfa. Like any other Armenian monasteries, this place has been the home for monks, calligraphers, gilders, authors, philosophers, historians and scholars. Stepanos monastery is important to Armenians for two reasons: the church is a well-known religious and cultural center for Armenians. Many calligraphers used to gather in this Wang to write books. Then the books used to be painted by skillful painters. This is why Wang Stepanos is known as one of the important centers of Armenian calligraphy. Many of the written books in this Wang are kept in the libraries of the Republic of Armenia and Italy.

 

Zia Al-Molk Bridge

The Zia Al-Molk Bridge has been built in the central part of the Aras River in 5th century AH. The bridge was built in B.C by the time "Urartians" were ruling the country. It was partly destroyed over the years due to the various military activities and was rebuilt by Zia Al-Molk later on. The height and the depth of the bridge towers are 20 m.

 

Khajeh Nazar caravansary

Khajeh Nazar caravansary is located next to the Jolfa- St. Stepanos Church coastal road, 7 km from the Jolfa City. This caravansary is one of the 999 caravansaries built during the reign of Shah Abbas Safavi. Aras Geopark has renovated this place and by setting up facilities and handicraft shops, has created a good tourist attraction out of this place. The handicraft shops are managed by the Geopark partners.

 

Choopan (shepherd) chapel

There is a small church named "Choopan Chapel" next to the Jolfa - St. Stepanos Church coastal road and 8 km from the Jolfa City. It dates back to the 16^th century. This chapel used to be a place for Armenian shepherds from the villages around the Sham Valley to gather and worship. This place is also important from geological point of view showing fossil records and rock fall features.

 

Nana-Maryam chapel

Near the St. Stepanos Church and in north of it, on the bank of the Aras River there is "Nana-Maryam" Church, built in 1518 by Armenians living in the Sham Valley.

 

Historical bathhouse of Jolfa

This historical bathhouse is located in the central part and next to the railroad of Jolfa. Most of it was excavated in 1993 by the Cultural Heritage Organization and was renovated. This bathhouse has beautifully carved and its portals are decorated with stones and bricks. The interior part has simple and colorful limestones. This bathhouse belongs to the "Qajar" period and is architecturally similar to the "Kordasht" bath.

 

Kordasht complex

Kordasht historical complex is located 70 km east of Jolfa, near the coastal road, next to the Kordasht Village. This historical complex dates back to Safavi era. Remains of this complex are the bathhouse, the mosques, the garden, the square, the octagonal palace, the water storage, the bazaar, the aqueduct and wells, which were used by the Safavi kings. The complex became the headquarters of Abbas Mirza during Qajar era and the Iranian-Russian war. During this period, military garrison houses, interior mansion, Qajar bath, courthouse, gates, rampart towers, castles, warehouse, stables and moats were added to the historical complex of Kordasht.

 

Gavur castle

The Gavur Castle is located 30 km east of Jolfa near the Aras River. According to field observations and archaeological findings, the castle dates back to late Urartu. This castle was built on a hill overlooking the Aras River and was probably a military base. In the past, the castle was right next to the Aras River, but the border road has cut the northern part of the castle and has passed through the castle. In the middle of the castle, there is water storage to which the Aras River's water used to be conducted by a tunnel.

 

The shrine of Imam Zadeh Seyed Mohammad

Sayed Muhammad's shrine is located 70 km east of Jolfa in the village of Nojehmehr. According to a famous story, Seyed Mohammad came to Azerbaijan in the Abbasid period to propagate Islam and lived and died in this region. The area of ​​this sacred place is more than 5000 m2  and the old cemetery of the village is also located in this complex. The shrine is 425 m2  and 5 m high. The shrine has two minarets and one brick dome with 20 m and 14 m high, respectively. These are decorated with beautiful inscriptions and seven-colored tiles. The underside of the dome is mirrored and the tomb is located beneath the dome.

 

Dozal Tower

Dozal Tower (Imamzadeh Sho'ib Monument) is located 67 km east of Jolfa in the village of Dozal. It is situated on a hill overlooking the Aras River. This tower dates back to Ilkhani-Safavid period. Imamzadeh Shoib's tomb is a brick octagonal tower and is built on a stone base.

Oshtobin Village

The Oshtobin village is located 103 km east of Jolfa and 7 km from the main road (figure 2-13-a). The steppe village of Oshtobin is composed of three villages of Haras, Siavashan and Jafarabad. It is located on the bank of the Aras River and is surrounded by high mountains. Although, stone inscriptions show the dates of 843 and 977 AH for this village, the architecture of some buildings seems to be from the Parthian period. The architecture of houses is step and the yard of one house is the roof for another. Beautiful fences, painted ceilings, sashes and windows reveal the superior art and civilization of the village inhabitants. Salmanzadeh's house with 305 m² area is one of the oldest houses in Oshtobin, dating back to 977 AH.

 

Hakim-Nabati shrine

The tomb of Hakim Nabati, a 13th-century well-known mystic and poet, overlooks to the village of Oshtobin (figure 2-13-b). Seyed Abu al-Qasim, known as Nabati, was born in Oshtobin in 1191 AH and died in the same place in 1262. Sum of his poems is over than fifty thousand couplets, which half of them are Persian and the rest is Turkish.

 

Iron Bridge

The bridge was built in the border of the Jolfa City, east side, over the Aras River and makes the railway link between Iran and Azerbaijan (Nakhichevan Autonomous Republic). Iron Bridge is constructed within two years between 1913 and 1914 (figure 2-13-c&d). The length of the bridge is 110 m and its width is 5.5 m. During the World War II and the invasion of Iran by Russian, three border guards bravely defended the country. To honor their resistance, the bodies of these three defenders were buried next to the railroad bridge.

 

 

Some of the significant cultural attractions of the Aras Geopark are registered in Iran National Heritage List and UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Title	Date	Registration type	Registration number
"Stepanos" church	1962	National Cultural Heritage	429
"Duzal" tower	1973	National Cultural Heritage	1654
"Kordasht" complex	1983	National Cultural Heritage	1655
Jolfa historical bathhouse	1999	National Cultural Heritage	2520
"Oshtobin" village	2000	National Cultural Heritage	2692
"Choopan" chapel	2002	National Cultural Heritage	7743
"Zia Al-Molk" bridge	2002	National Cultural Heritage	6673
"Khajeh Nazar" caravansary	2002	National Cultural Heritage	7744
"Gavur" castle	2003	National Cultural Heritage	8752
"Kordasht" castle	2009	National Cultural Heritage	28.71
St. Stepanos Church and Choopan Chapel	2008	UNESCO heritage	9

 

 

Intangible Heritage

 

Human civilizations have developed along the rivers as water has always been a source of prosperity and fertility. Aras River has also been the center of attention for human from the ancient times. The earliest people who lived in this area are called "Ras companions". It is believed that these people first lived on the banks of the Aras River after the flood of Noah. By creating large cities, farming, gardening and animal husbandries, they created a brilliant civilization. Hundreds of years later, some of their tribes remained alongside the Aras River and Arasbaran area and they became religious leaders during different empires. Some even believe that Zoroaster (the ancient Iranian prophet) has been one of these clerics.

This region has a very long history which has shaped the rich culture of Aras. The Aras Area was on the Silk Road and along this route, China exported its silk to Europe. When they became acquainted with the silk, the Iranian businessmen brought the Chinese mulberry trees and promoted the silk industry in the region. The mulberry trees that they brought were adapted to the good weather of the area and even produced fruit that was exported overseas because of its deliciousness and many nutritious properties. The leaves of these trees are good food for silkworms, and from that time silkworm breeding and silkworm production in the region flourished. For this reason, the city is called Jolfa because the word "Jolfa" means "weaver" which refers to the cultivation of silkworm and silk thread manufactories. Nowadays, the production of silk rugs is one of the most important local handicrafts.

The heritage of the local community of the Aras Geopark can be found in the following traditions and rituals:

 

The Chaharshanbeh Suri ceremony

The Chaharshanbeh Suri ceremony is held on the night of the last Wednesday of the year, in which people light fires and gather around it. Locals who see the fire as a symbol of purity and warmth jump across the fire and sing poems such as "jump and jump Wednesday may you open my fortune " which is a wish of happiness. The custom of this night is to send candies and colorful gifts from the groom's family to the bride's home. One of the main rituals of this night, which was quite common in the old days, is the "hanging Shawl" ritual, in which young people hung tall shawls from the roof of their neighbors and relatives and they put snacks, fruit or other gifts such as handmade socks in it.

 

"Tulki-Sani" ritual show

Tulki-Sani show is performed every Chaharshanbeh Suri night and also Nowruz (to be explained below) night every year, with two children or adolescents who are gather together, one as a fox and one as a singer. They cover the fox's head and face with a mask or black soot so that he is unrecognizable and cover him with a large sweatshirt and put a broom on his back as a tail and one or two bells and a ewer on his waist. They are decorated in a special way, and the singer holds a large stick in his hand and reads Turkish poems to the audience.

These two go to the doors of the houses on Chaharshanbeh Suri night, and after the door has been opened by the owner the person chosen as the fox dances and jumps so that everyone in the room can hear the bells ringing. As the fox jumps up and down and dances the singer starts to sing his poems. When the singer sings the last verse of his poem, he strikes the fox with his stick and the fox falls to the ground and plays dead, demanding the homeowner to pay for the fox's ransom and the homeowner gives them money or eggs as much as he can, and it creates happy memories in the minds of the residents and especially the children. Tulki-Sani written and directed by Ahad Ojaqzadeh. It is one of the accepted works in the traditional ritual section of the Aras Street Theater Festival, which took place in the northwestern provinces of Iran (see section E.7 for details)

 

Yalda Night

Yalda Night Ritual is held on the longest night of the year (21 December). On this night the relatives come together and stay up late and talk about myths and stories. They also eat fruit and nuts during the night, the main fruit being watermelon, which farmers have kept from summer crops in straws.

 

Marriage ritual

One of the oldest and most sacred ceremonies still performed the same way in many rural areas is marriage ceremony. The wedding is performed with the singing and playing of local artists called "Ashiq" and Azeri dancing of young people. One of the special events of the wedding night is that the groom goes on the roof and throws red apples at the crowd of wedding guests, including the bride. Many folk poems have referred to this ritual.

 

Nowruz

Nowruz ritual is one of the ancient rituals that people of Aras, like all Iranians, hold with great interest and belief. Nowruz means the beginning of the New Year, which is also the beginning of spring. The people of this area welcome the New Year a few days before the arrival of Nowruz. By beginning of the New Year, people arrange the "Haft-Sin" table decorated with mirrors, the Quran, fishbowl and seven containers of vinegar, Samanu, garlic, apples, wheatgrass, sumac and coins. The main philosophy of Nowruz is to visit relatives and celebrate the New Year and the host welcomes his guests with tea and nuts and some fruits. This visit lasts for several days and finally on the thirteenth day people go to nature from the early hours of the day stay there for lunch. This tradition is known as "sizdah-bedar".

 

"Yumurta Boyamaq" ritual

One of the most fascinating ancient traditions of Nowruz is making of boiled and colored eggs traditionally made using ingredients such as straw, onion peel and pomegranate peels. Colored eggs have various functions, including decorating the Haft-Sin table, Nowruz gift for children and also for a game using that colored eggs. The game is played as a win-and-lose game. One of the players holds the egg firmly in his hand so that egg is raised upwards and then the other person beat the egg from its head to the opposite egg. If one of them would have cracked they would change the formation and hit the other side, if the same egg was cracked, the owner would have been the loser and would have had to give his egg to the winner. By means of this game, one person could own several eggs a day.

Aras Geopark has been organizing a painting festival on Nowruz eggs every year with the aim of protecting, introducing and promoting the coloring process of Nowruz eggs. In the first round of the festival, about 600 works in the workshop section, in the second year 900 works in the workshop section and more than 700 works in the competition section, and in the third period in 2019, works from all over the country participated in the festival.

 

Muharram ritual

This ritual is one of the oldest rituals in this region that begins with the first days of the month of Muharram in the lunar calendar and is accompanied by mourning for the martyrdom of the third Shiite imam, Imam Hussein. During these ten days, people wear black clothes and erect black flags everywhere, and on the tenth day, named "Ashura" in Arabic, which concurrent with the martyrdom day of Imam Hussein, a ceremony is performed. This ceremony is a kind of street theater that represents the martyrdom of Imam Hussein in the Karbala desert.

 

Mourning Ceremony on "Tasua" Day and "Ashura" Night in Siah Saran Village

"Alam" (a very long metal stick with decorations on it) is the most important tool in mourning ceremonies in Muharram. The village of Siahsaran has seven Alams, the most important of which is the Abulfazl's Alam. During the first days of Muharram, when the mourning people of the village are gathered, all the Alams would be entered to the main square turned around it. On Tasua day, mourners march along with seven Alams to the village of Livarjan, and at the entrance of the village of Livarjan, seven Alams of their mourners would welcome them and they would bow to each other and after passing the central mosque Siahsaran's Alams would return to their village.

In the afternoon the Alams from the village of Livarjan are taken to the village of Siahsaran and a similar ceremony is held in the village of Siahsaran. At Ashura night, three Alams from the village of Siahsaran and three from the village of Livarjan is taken to Zavieh village and its shrine, and people mourn in the yard of the shrine along with two Alams from Zavieh village.

 

"Thanksgiving for pomegranate harvest" ritual

The orchards of the villages of Duzal, Kordasht, Qulan, Mason and Oshtobin are the major pomegranate producing areas inside the Aras Geopark. Appropriate altitude, climate, temperature and a little humidity minimize the frostbite danger in these areas and provide conditions for pomegranate cultivation. The favorable conditions have yielded more than 250 hectares of land to be cultivated pomegranate in the area. Pomegranate harvest begins annually in late September and runs until first of October. At the same time a festival of pomegranates will be held for harvest Thanksgiving. One of the beauties of this festival is the performance of cultural programs including "Ashiq" music. The festival features stalls for selling pomegranates.

 

The "Lezqi (Azeri local dance)" dance ceremony

It has several slow and fast movements, first performed with slow movements and then fast and rhythmic. Along with the Lezgi dance, three quad notes are played. The notes are said to be the ballet of Azerbaijan. Besides, the rhythmic movements of "Naz Elama" (don't coy) and "Kor-Oghli" (heroic character known as a fighter against oppressions) with occasional gestures and immediately changes by the rapid rotation of the rhythm and the turns and jumps with the tune of hornpipes and drums are performed by Azeri dancers wearing special and very elegant dresses with glossy boots reaching to the knees and with a lightweight overcoat. The body and pants are tight and sticky and fit for any movement.

 

"Ashiq" Local Music Festival

This festival is an old ritual which plays an important role in attracting foreign tourists, especially in Nowruz holidays. The poetic theme of this music is inspired by the rich nature and culture of the people of this region. The most prominent figures in Ashiq music are Ashiq Rasul Qorbani and Changiz Mehdi Pour. The Aras Geopark has also designed and taught the local community of the region to build decorative samples of this festival's instrument (Qopuz) as a geoproduct. The aim is to preserve and promote the original indigenous art to provide a souvenir to tourists along with introducing this art.

 

Traditional skill of cooking " Qurud-Qayla " potage (Aras's local food)

In the local language, Qurud-Qayla is made up of two parts: "qurud" meaning whey and "qayla" means minced meat corned and potted traditionally. The whey is usually added in the last step and qayla is poured on the potage. Nowadays, minced meat is used instead of qayla. This potage was traditionally cooked in bridesmaid's ceremony and served to guests. The raw ingredients for this potage are bulgur wheat, green beans, eggplant, tomatoes, whey and herbs such as basil and parsley. This dish is now available in many restaurants in Jolfa and in the tourist centers of this geopark.

This heritage is nationally inscribed in the list of cultural heritage, tourism and handicrafts ministry in 2017 by the number 1484.

 

Silkworm breeding

Silkworm breeding and production of silkworm products (such as Kilim) is one of the traditional activities of Azerbaijan, especially in the area of Aras Geopark. Aras Geopark has worked to establish a silkworm breeding cooperative and support its production to preserve this native activity.

 

Some of Aras Geopark's traditions and its heritages have been listed on the national list of Intangible Heritage of Iran and the UNESCO's Human and Cultural Heritage. These works are in table 3.

Table 3: List of Aras Cultural and Intangible Heritage

Title	Date	Type of registration	Registration number
Nowruz	2010	UNESCO Human and Cultural Heritage	*
The mourning ritual in Moharram for imam Hossein in Siahsaran village	2012	The intangible heritage	591
The traditional play "tulki-sani"	2015	The intangible heritage	1187
"yumurta boyamaq (coloring eggs) ritual	2015	The intangible heritage	1186
The traditional skill of cooking " Qurud-Qayla " potage	2016	The intangible heritage	1484
"Varni" weaving	2009	The intangible heritage	88

* Associated with following countries: Afghanistan – Azerbaijan – India –Iraq – Kazakhstan – Kyrgyzstan – Uzbekistan – Pakistan – Tajikistan – Turkmenistan – Turkey