.

CAIS ARCHAEOLOGICAL & CULTURAL NEWS

03 October 2005

By Farzaneh Shokri

Head of Iran’s Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization (ICHTO) has called for a national drive to register more historical monuments in 2006, saying that a total of 13,000 edifices have been listed since 1985.

Esfandiar Rahim-Mashaei, who was speaking in his first press conference since taking office, added that the figure will reach more than 20,000 by next March.

“Since 1930, when the law protecting historical sites was approved, only 1,307 edifices were registered up to 1985, “ he said, pointing out that the experts estimate the number of historical monuments in the country at over one million.

Rahim-Mashaei said the main responsibility of the ICHTO is to devise measures to protect historical monuments. He urged officials concerned to seriously pursue this.

After outlining his plans of action, he responded the questions by reporters.
Asked about Jahan-Nama Tower in Isfahan, he said that the city’s Naqsh-e Jahan Square is an Islamic historical monument which is registered on national heritage list.

“If the court considering the case issues a verdict in favor the city’s Municipality, which is against lowering the tower’s height, this will be a catastrophe for cultural heritage field,“ he observed.

Turning to Sivand Dam project, he said that in a joint session of ICHTO and Energy Ministry officials, it was agreed to delay the commissioning of the dam to give more time for conducting archeological excavations.

"History is the Light on the Path to Future"

Encyclopaedia Iranica

The British Institute of Persian Studies

"Persepolis Reconstructed"

Persepolis3D

The British Museum

The Royal

Asiatic Society