Shahr-e
Rey district in southern Tehran, a place where garbage and
wastewater are disposed, boasts several historically
valuable monuments. Unfortunately, most of these relics
have been wrecked and ruined as a result of construction
and development projects or simply out of ignorance.
Shahr-e Rey Cement Factory has already gulped down several
historic works including an embossed design of Fathali
Shah dating back to the Qajarid era.
The plant is also devouring the slopes of the Bibi
Shahrbanoo Mount at a rapid pace, ISNA wrote.
The Rashkan Fortress and Saljuqid Citadel, belonging to
the Parthian and Saljuqid periods respectively and noted
for their delicate embossments, are under private
ownership. Iran Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization
has so far failed to convince the owners to sell the
relics. Moreover, these monuments
have not undergone any repair work because Shahr-e Rey
does not have a cultural heritage department of its own.
The Royal Al-e Bouyeh Cemetery, with a 4,000-year-old
history, is under threat of destruction due to large-scale
construction projects in its vicinity.
Surprisingly, the administrative office of the Abdolazim
Shrine has been based in Gabri Castle, a monument of
historical significance--whereas no rules and conventions
sanction using historic places for administrative
purposes. ICHTO, the official owner of the castle, must be
obliged to take back the property.
The negligence on the part of ICHTO and the Organization
for Religious Endowments and Charity Affairs has caused
ancient religious monuments to incur damages as well.
Apart from recognizing cultural heritage sites, ICHTO
should as well have the power to guard and preserve those
places.
Director of Tehran Cultural Heritage Department admitted
that historic monuments in Shahr-e Rey district are
endangered by construction, industrial and agriculture
projects, adding, "The population growth in the
capital city boosts the real estates value constantly. As
a result, people residing around historic hills destroy
the hills to secure more land or sell the area's
soil."
He regretted that the ICHTO is lacking sufficient manpower
and budget to safeguard those places. "A special
taskforce was formed in recent years to guards sites of
culture heritage, but the Management and Planning
Organization has so far failed to fund the scheme,"
he explained.
"We repaired some of the monuments in Shahr-e Rey in
11 workshops last year. There are a total 170 historic
places in the area, which will undergo renovation based on
priorities."
He also pointed to illegal excavations and said,
"Some people dig up the area in search of treasures.
But the majority of hills in Shahr-e Rey date back to
prehistoric times. Since gold did not exist during that
era, the illicit excavators fail in their fortune-hunting
attempts."
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