Historical Heritage: A Bridge Between Nations and Diplomacy, a Bridge to a Shared Future

At a reception for diplomatic delegations marking the UNESCO World Heritage inscription of Alamut Castle, Salehi stressed the role of diplomacy in strengthening mutual understanding, preventing misunderstandings, and expanding cultural and scientific cooperation among nations.

According to Ambassador Arjan, the banquet of diplomatic delegations on the occasion of the global registration of Alamut Castle and related fortifications, hosted by the Iranology Foundation and Qazvin Governorate, was held on Tuesday evening, October 21, 1405, in the mansion of Sardar Mofkham, Qazvin. In this ceremony, political representatives of more than ten countries of the world were present in Iran.

In this event, Ali Akbar Salehi, head of the Iranian Studies Foundation, pointed out the historical and cultural status of Alamut and its capacity to strengthen the relationship between nations, and considered the presence of diplomatic representatives in this event as an opportunity to deepen mutual understanding, safeguard the common human heritage and pay attention to the responsibility of countries in bringing nations closer to each other.

Stating that Alamut is the place where history, nature and thought are connected, Salehi stated that the strong fortresses of this region among the Alborz mountains are evidence of an important chapter in the history of Iran and the Islamic world. In a period of history, Alamut became one of the important political, cultural and intellectual centers of Nizari Ismailis and left a distinctive mark on the history of this region. According to him, these historical monuments are a reminder that civilizations are formed in interaction with the natural environment, historical experiences and intellectual traditions, and the value of cultural heritage is not limited to national borders.

The head of the Iranology Foundation considered the registration of the "Almut Castle and its related fortifications" in the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2026 as recognition of the value of this heritage and noted that this event, in addition to being a source of pride for Iran, creates a common responsibility for humanity in safeguarding the treasures of the past and passing them on to future generations.

He continued, addressing the role of diplomacy and the responsibility of political representatives of countries, and said that the mission of ambassadors goes beyond official negotiations and management of political relations. One of the important missions of diplomacy is to turn the distance between nations into an opportunity for recognition and understanding and to turn differences into a basis for mutual respect.

Pointing to the differences between the nations in history, culture, traditions and interests, Salehi clarified that these differences should not necessarily lead to enmity; The main issue is their wise recognition and management. Ambassadors have a dual and decisive role in this direction: on the one hand, they convey the positions and concerns of their respective governments to others, and on the other hand, they help their governments to understand the realities, views and legitimate concerns of the countries where they are assigned.

According to the head of the Iranology Foundation, this bilateral responsibility is important because misunderstandings do not only arise from real differences of interests, but also incomplete information, misconceptions, and misinterpretation of the other party's intentions. Sometimes a timely explanation, a frank conversation or an accurate transmission of a message can prevent a misunderstanding from turning into a serious dispute in diplomatic relations.

Stating that diplomacy in its best form, in addition to resolving disputes, is also the art of preventing avoidable disputes, he added: mutual understanding does not mean the agreement of all nations on all issues; Rather, it requires readiness to listen, understand different points of view, and seek reasonable solutions, even if disagreements persist.

Referring to the unprecedented speed of information dissemination in the world today, he said: This situation has doubled the responsibility of diplomats. Because misinformation can spread quickly, while trust takes time, persistence, and meaningful interaction to form. Therefore, by communicating with the people of the mission countries, getting to know their history and culture, and encouraging direct dialogue, ambassadors can play a role in reducing misconceptions and strengthening the foundations of sustainable cooperation.

The head of the Iranian Studies Foundation considered one of the most important achievements of a diplomatic mission to be that at the end of it, not only official relations between countries have become stronger, but also their nations have gained a more accurate, fairer and deeper understanding of each other.

Pointing to the gathering of representatives of different countries in this event, Salehi said that getting to know the historical heritage goes beyond visiting ancient buildings and fortifications and said that such meetings provide the opportunity to know the experiences, thoughts and ideals of people who have played a role in shaping the history of a land. Every nation has a complex set of memories, achievements, difficulties and hopes, and knowing this complexity is necessary to overcome simplistic notions and form real mutual respect.

He expressed his hope that the visit of diplomatic representatives to Alamut, in addition to getting to know a valuable part of Iran's history, would create new opportunities for cultural, academic, scientific and tourism cooperation between Iran and their respective countries. According to Salehi, these exchanges can take countries' relations beyond the framework of official channels and help bring more nations closer through the cooperation of scientists, artists, researchers and the young generation.

In summing up his speech, the head of Iranology Foundation described historical heritage as a bridge between the past and the future and diplomacy as a bridge between nations and their common future, and said that if safeguarding Alamut is a duty to future generations, safeguarding peace, strengthening trust and expanding mutual understanding are also responsibilities towards these generations.

He pointed out that although it is not possible to eliminate all differences, misunderstandings can be avoided, differences can be looked at wisely, and differences of opinions cannot be blocked. In the end, Salehi appreciated the presence of political representatives in this event, considered knowledge, foresight, fairness and adherence to dialogue as important capacities of diplomats to play a lasting role in this direction and expressed hope that this meeting will leave good memories of Iran and its hospitable people for the guests and provide the ground for closer ties and more fruitful cooperation in the coming years.

In the continuation of the ceremony, Qazvin Governor Mohammad Nozari, while welcoming the ambassadors and political representatives and expressing his satisfaction at their presence in the province, considered the global registration of Alamut a great honor for Iran.

In this period, the governor of Qazvin spoke about the industrial, agricultural and tourism capabilities of the province and stated: Welcome to Qazvin, an ancient land with 10 thousand years of history and civilization along the Silk Road, which was the capital for half a century during the Safavid period.

He said: "Qazvin province has achieved a happy event by registering Alamut in the UNESCO world list, and this case was registered as the 30th tangible work of the world at the 48th meeting of UNESCO, and today Alamut is not only a historical monument, but is introduced as a center of governance and pure Iranian culture."

Nowzari clarified: The global registration of Alamut Castle has a message that Iran's heritage is a part of the historical heritage of humanity, and Qazvin is not only a historical land, but also the beating heart of Iran's economy, and we are the fourth industrial pole, and more than 1,200 types of industrial products are produced in the province, and 180,000 people work in the industry.

He said: We are one of the very good and big provinces in agriculture, and the Qazvin plain is among the three largest plains of the country, and an important part of the security of Aza'i takes place in Qazvin province, and it is also considered the capital of Iran's calligraphy.

Nowzari stated: 11% of the country's registered historical monuments are located in Qazvin, and many prominent figures of Iran and the world have served in this region, and today we announce in the group of ambassadors that we are ready to expand economic, social and cultural cooperation with other countries.

He said: We are ready to welcome foreign investors and have the necessary support with those interested in different fields, and you ambassadors can announce our message to your businessmen.

The governor of Qazvin reminded: I hope that during the two-day trip to Qazvin and visiting historical and tourism monuments, you will get to know the capacities of this province and be a good ambassador for introducing Islamic Iran and Qazvin province and the cultural identity of this region.

In the final part of this ceremony, the ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany in Iran spoke about his experience of being in Alamut Castle.

This banquet was held as a continuation of the initiative of the Iranian Studies Foundation to introduce the historical and cultural capacities of Iran to the diplomatic community living in the country. In this framework, Iranology Foundation invited the political representatives of more than ten countries of the world for an exclusive visit to Alamut Castle and related fortifications after its global registration.

This scientific visit, which was held for the first time after the global registration of the collection, with the presence of foreign political representatives, took place on the morning of Tuesday, October 21, and lasted for more than four hours. In the course of this program, while introducing the historical fortress of Alamut and its related fortifications, the reasons for the world registration of this heritage and the long-term efforts made in this direction were explained to the guests, and they got to know the historical, cultural and social aspects of this work.

This cultural activity of Iranology Foundation provided an opportunity to introduce one of the valuable heritages of Iran to the representatives of different countries and to familiarize the diplomatic community with the historical and cultural capacities of Qazvin province. The present political representatives also praised this historical work and welcomed and appreciated the experience of visiting Alamut.