Objectives

According to the official notification No. 1607 dated February 25, 2018, the Hormozgan Cultural Heritage Custodians Association was established and registered by the General Office of Registration of Companies and Non-Commercial Institutions with the national identification number 14007444786. Following the end of the previous term of the Board of Directors, the newly elected Board of Directors decided to update the objectives of the Association to increase operational efficiency after seven years of activity. One of the major proposed changes is the use of artificial intelligence to better align with the objectives of the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage. The objectives of the Institute are listed in the appendix below in section D.2 entitled “Scope of Activities of the Institute”. An excerpt from this section is provided below: • Identifying, documenting, and revitalizing the rituals and traditions of Hormozgan and other regions of Iran. • All museum-related services (including the establishment, design, organization, and development of digital museums). • Holding discussion sessions, exchange of views, conferences, seminars, and symposiums on topics related to Hormozgan and Iranology. • Preparing and organizing registration documents for tangible, intangible, and natural heritage for registration in the national and world heritage lists. • Implementing research projects in all fields of cultural heritage. • Liaising with cultural centers in neighbouring countries of Hormozgan province for cultural and historical activities with these countries, examining common customs and traditions, and examining their common language and culture. • Holding various cultural events and participating in domestic and international exhibitions related to cultural heritage, tourism, and handicrafts. • Digitizing intangible cultural heritage. • Creating 3D models of cultural heritage works for display and preservation. • Creating virtual tours using augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR). • Analyzing historical texts and documents to extract historical information.

Cooperation

The Hormozgan Cultural Heritage Custodians Association (HCHCA) has always collaborated with local communities and government institutions. Some of these partnerships include the following: - Given the expertise of the association members in various fields of intangible and natural heritage, the association plays an advisory role for local communities, and its members are invited to participate in local cultural programs. - The association has always involved the local community in organizing cultural festivals and exhibitions. - The association cooperates in training tour guides and supporting cultural tourism. - The association cooperates with the local community to prepare a national register of intangible heritage. - The association's members take part in training courses organized by UNESCO, both in person and online, to enhance their skills in protecting intangible cultural heritage. - The association cooperates with the Hormozgan Provincial Directorate of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts in organizing festivals and preparing a national register. - Cooperation with the Hormozgan Provincial Religious Board, which led to the national registration of Alam Gerdani. - Collaboration with the Traditional Games Board to revive these games, which led to the official registration of the traditional games of Ramadan, Rahmani and Dara. - Tahereh Rezaei’s collaboration with the Language and Dialects Research Institute of the Cultural Heritage and Tourism Research Institute of Iran to complete the “Iranian Language Atlas” (ILA) project, which led to the collection of samples of the dialects of Bandar Abbas city. - Mr. Ahmadizadeh is the manager of the largest traditional festival in Hormozgan province. - Due to the historical and cultural ties of Hormozgan province with the Persian Gulf and African countries, which have had long-standing trade and cultural exchanges with the region’s traditional seafarers, the association seeks to initiate formal cooperation with cultural institutions in these countries to promote cultural exchange. - HCHCA members include organizers, cultural theorists and critics who work closely with a network of intangible cultural heritage experts. This interdisciplinary approach enhances the quality and impact of their initiatives and equips the group with the expertise and capacity to provide professional advisory services to UNESCO.