Iranian Muslim women visit the UNESCO world heritage site of the Qara Kelisa (Black Church) in Chaldran, northwest Iran. Also known as the Monastery of St. Thaddeus, it is one of three Armenian monasteries in Iran declared a World Heritage site.
Photograph by Hasan Sarbakhshian, APThe citadel of Bam in southeastern Iran has stood sentinel over the city for more than 2,500 years and reached its peak during the medieval period, when Bam served as a critical trading point along the Silk Road. The citadel, a UNESCO World Heritage site, was severely damaged in a 2003 earthquake.
Photograph by Eric Lafforgue, Bridgeman ImagesMonumental doorways are nearly all that remain of Darius's palace.
Photograph by Simon Norfolk, Nat Geo Image CollectionThe tomb of the Persian Emperor Cyrus the Great, who ruled from 559 to 530 B.C., stands in the ancient capital of Pasargadae. The World Heritage site covers almost 400 acres and features the remains of palaces and gardens.
Photograph by Stefan Auth, Bridgeman ImagesA man leaps in to the Karun River at the Iranian city of Shustar. The city's ancient and ingenious irrigation system was recognised by UNESCO in 2009.
Photograph by Thomas Schulze, Picture Alliance, Dpa, Ap