WANA

The art of mirror-work in Iranian architecture has been officially inscribed on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

The decision was adopted during the 20th session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, held in New Delhi, India. The element was registered under its official title: “Ayeneh-Kari, the art of mirror-work in Persian architecture.”

With this inscription, the number of Iran’s registered intangible cultural heritage elements has risen to 27. This marks the first time an element specifically linked to Persian architecture has been included in UNESCO’s intangible heritage records, placing “Persian Architecture” as a recognized category within UNESCO’s documentation.

Iran submitted the nomination file in April 2024. The dossier—prepared and compiled by Shahab Nikman—received praise from UNESCO’s evaluation body for its high quality, leading to its approval by the Intergovernmental Committee.

As part of this year’s official program, Iran’s Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism, and Handicrafts, in cooperation with the Mana Naghsh Heritage Institute (which prepared the dossier), organized an exhibition on the global registration of mirror-work in Persian architecture.

The initiative, held in partnership with UNESCO, was regarded as a notable and rare form of collaboration for an intergovernmental meeting.

According to the nomination file, Ayeneh-Kari is a handcrafted decorative art applied to architectural surfaces such as ceilings, walls, domes, columns, and panels. It involves cutting and shaping mirrors into geometric or organic patterns and fixing them onto surfaces to create designs that reflect light and illuminate the space.

The craft integrates multiple skills, including design, mirror-cutting, plasterwork, painting, and mosaic techniques. In traditional communities, mirrors and water symbolize purity and clarity, and mirror-work reflects the cultural value placed on light and illumination.

The craft is transmitted both informally—through apprenticeships and workshops—and formally through universities, NGOs, and educational institutions. Often, Ayeneh-Kari is a family profession passed down through generations from grandfathers, fathers, and uncles to younger family members.

Master mirror-workers hold high social status, and the art is regarded as both luxurious and spiritual. It decorates a wide range of traditional and contemporary spaces, from sacred shrines and religious buildings to royal palaces and private residences. Today, the practice remains vital in the restoration of historic sites and in modern architectural design >>>