Cultural Heritage
In the past, most of the great human civilizations were formed along rivers or areas that had more natural security. Aras Free Zone, due to having both of the above-mentioned features, hosts numerous historical monuments and archeological sites along the Aras River. Be. St. Stephen's Church, Shepherd's Church, Mother Mary Church, Darreh Sham Historical Village, Khajeh Nazar Caravanserai, Zia Al-Molk Bridge, Jolfa Historical Bath, Iron Bridge, Wooden Bridge, Khodaafarin Historical Bridges, Kurdasht Historical Complex and Duzal Historical Tower are among the historical monuments. They show off along the Aras River. In addition to these cultural and historical sites, the Echo Museum of Golfaraj Village and the Museum of God-Creating Historical Objects have shown the culture of the people living in this area by displaying the historical objects of the past.
Aras, the birthplace of history and civilization, is the only free zone to host a UNESCO World Heritage Site, making its historic sites an added value in attracting domestic and foreign tourists to other free zones.
St. Stephen's Church was nationally registered on March 6, 1972 with the registration number 429 and in 2008 it was registered as the ninth work of Iran in the UNESCO World Heritage List. According to some historians, this church was built in the ninth century AD, but others attribute the date of its construction to the Safavid era. The Church of the Shepherd was built in 1518 for shepherds or the general public who did not have access to the churches of the Sham Valley to perform their religious rites.
Khajeh Nazar Caravanserai is one of the 999 caravanserais that Shah Abbas Safavid built in the whole empire under his rule. This historical monument was nationally registered on March 8, 2002 with the registration number 7744 as one of the historical monuments of the country.
Zia-ol-Molk Bridge was built in BC and during the Urartians. This bridge was destroyed for many years due to various armies and later rebuilt due to the need of the rulers of the time. This bridge was last rebuilt by Zia-ol-Molk Nakhjavani and was nationally registered on December 1, 2002 with the registration number 6673.
The historical complex of Kurdistan dates back to the Safavid era. Among the remnants of this period, we can mention the bath, nearby mosque, garden, square, octagonal pavilion, water storage, bazaar, aqueduct and wells that were used by Safavid sultans during the Safavid period. This complex became the command center of Abbas Mirza during the Qajar period and during the Iran-Russia wars. During this period, the barracks, military barracks, inside mansion, Qajar baths, court house, gates, fortifications, castles, warehouses, Stables and ditches have been added to the Kurdish historical complex.