Surprisingly, after the recent demolition of seven of the city’s historical factories, the Isfahan Municipality and City Council finally made plans to put an end to the process, although some time ago they did nothing to prevent the destruction of the Rahimzadeh Factory.

Jamshid Nur-Salehi, the deputy director of the Isfahan Urban Development Office, recently announced that the municipality has agreed to purchase the entire site of the Risbaf historical factory, which covers an area of 65,000 square meters.

Meanwhile, the old Nahid, Rahimzadeh, Vatan, Zayandeh Rud, and New Shahreza factories were demolished and are being replaced by tall buildings. Most of the factories were located along the Zayandeh Rud River, which runs across the city.

This construction could be considered a violation of riverfront zoning laws and will increase pedestrian and automobile traffic in the Chahar Bagh area.

The historical factories of Isfahan are symbols of the beginning of the industrial era in Isfahan and Iran which combine traditional and modern technology.

Most of the city’s spinning and weaving factories were constructed about seventy years ago and designed by German architect Peter Behrens in the style of Western industrial architecture popular at the time.

Engineer Khajuii, the director of the Preservation Department of the Isfahan Cultural Heritage and Tourism Department, has said that the factories had a special place in the city due to their unique architecture and could have been used for various purposes.

Isfahan officials could have saved the historical buildings and made better use of them, he added.

Traffic, pollution, bankruptcy, and financial problems were some of the reasons the factories were replaced by residential and commercial buildings.

A plan to renovate and convert the buildings was proposed in 1998 by then governor of Isfahan Engineer Jahangiri and approved.

The Chahar Bagh region and its four surrounding factories were supposed to be converted into a square named Nezam Square, but the plan was never implemented.