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 The
remaining 8, out of the 50 historical mounds in Jundi
Shapour (Gondê
Shâpûr) in Khuzestan province, are facing destruction,
while the other 42 mounds covering an area of 700
hectares have been flattened in the process of
agriculture over the past 40 years.
According to CHN, archeological studies indicate
that Jundi Shapour was once a thriving city in
which a the first world university by the same
name was established by King
of Kings Shapour I, of Sasanian dynasty
With the advent of Islam and the growth of its
influence in Iran, many texts in Sasanid-Pahlavi
scripts were translated into Arabic and Iranian
heritage was transferred to Arab countries.
Saeed Mohammadpour, an official in charge of legal
affairs at Iran Cultural Heritage and Tourism
Organization (ICHTO) said that farmers have
leveled the historical mounds of Jundi Shapour in
the past 40 years.
He said that the historical site is currently
owned by the Department for State Lands which has
leased the land to farmers on annual basis.
"Currently, some 50 farmers are working at
the site and the lease contract will expire in
2007. The ICHTO has initiated legal action to
prevent the Department for State Lands from
extending the contract after the period
expires."
Archeologists believe that cultivation of the land
during the four decades has damaged the buried
structures which are of cultural heritage
significance
Meanwhile an expert with the ICHTO office in
Khuzestan, Abdolreza Peymani said that
archaeological evidence in this ancient city has
been destroyed in the process of farming and no
excavation has been conducted at the site.
Dr Masoud Azarnoush, head of Iran Archaeological
Research Center, said that Jundi Shapour
historical site has been damaged and Iran would
cooperate with Chicago-based Institute of Eastern
Studies to carry out excavation in the area. The
Jundi Shapour historical site is located in Dezful.
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