TEHRAN – The collective rituals and cultural elements practiced to cherish the anonymous martyrs have been named intangible cultural heritage in Iran.
“The anonymous martyrs, their body probing operations, funeral and memorial services, and their pilgrimage rituals have been collectively inscribed on the national list of intangible cultural heritage,” CHTN reported.
On Monday, the Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts declared the listing through letters it submitted to the governors-general of all Iranian provinces, according to the report.
Anonymous martyr (also called unidentified or unknown martyrs) is a term commonly used to refer to the remains of Iranians who were killed in the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq war but could not be identified, for various reasons.
More traditionally, authorities have relied on the uniforms, personal effects and type of equipment used by a soldier to determine whether they are Iranian or not, but in recent years there has been an increased use of DNA testing to do this. determination.
In September 1980, the Iraqi army cautiously advanced along a broad front in Khuzestan, taking Iran by surprise. Iraqi troops captured the town of Khorramshahr but failed to take the important oil refining center of Abadan. By December 1980, the Iraqi offensive had stalled about 80-120 km inside Iran after encountering surprisingly strong Iranian resistance.
In May 1982, Iranian forces retook Khorramshahr. Iraq voluntarily withdrew its forces from all captured Iranian territories shortly thereafter and began seeking a peace agreement with Iran.
In July 1987, the UN Security Council unanimously passed Resolution 598, urging the two neighbors to agree to a ceasefire, withdraw their forces to internationally recognized borders, and settle their border disputes. through negotiations held under the auspices of the United Nations.
The war imposed by Iraq was one of the most destructive conflicts of the end of the 20th century. The total number of fighters on both sides is unclear, but estimates of the total number of casualties range from 1,000,000 to twice that number.
AFM
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