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.CAIS NEWS© ARCHAEOLOGICAL & CULTURAL NEWS OF THE IRANIAN WORLD |
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Film Crew While Trying to Steal, Damaged 2500-Year-Old Persepolis' Bas-Reliefs
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23 December 2006 |
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Picture courtesy of ISNA |
LONDON, (Edited by Shapour Suren-Pahlav - CAIS) -- A member of a film crew recently damaged two bas-reliefs depicting Achaemenid soldiers on the wall of the Palace H, denoted to Artaxerxes in Persepolis, the Persian service of CHN reported on Thursday.
The
unidentified person, who was a crew member of Hassan Fat’hi’s latest film,
removed the heads of two Achaemenid soldier and a gift-bearer, with metal tools in order to steal
the artifacts, said Persepolis Guard Department director Noruzi (no first name
given).
“We
had suspicions about several individuals in the group of cameramen from the
beginning, so two guards were assigned to keep an eye on them, but one of them
furtively damaged two bas-reliefs of Persepolis,” he added.
The
prime suspect has been arrested, and a team of experts is investigating the
level of damage.
Several
months ago a part of the Xerxes Palace in Persepolis was damaged by a fire set
by another film crew.
“The
officials who issue permits for feature-length films with large crews are
responsible for such events. We have asked the officials not to authorize groups
that have applied to make feature-length films at Persepolis, but there has so
far been no response to the requests,” Persepolis Ancient Complex director
Maziar Kazemi said.
"What is the point? We arrest, charge and bring the guilty party to court, then he walks free. These kind of thieves deserve to face a draconian punishment, but instead they walk free; -simply because these kind of people escape justice by either bribing the Islamic court, or knowing a cleric to influence the court's ruling; -he could also be a member of Hezbollahis or one of his family members is a Revolutionary Guard or Basij [Islamic Militia]", said a discontent high-ranking officer with Shiraz' Police Department.
He added, "if you say something unpleasant about the Khomeini [the founder of the Islamic Republic], you would possibly be executed without a trial, because it is considered as sacrileges, but if you damage and rob the national heritage, in another word stealing from the beytolmal [people's wealth], which effects the generations to come, nothing would happen to you - this is the law of Islamic Iran and the treatment of the national heritage."
Following
the latest catastrophe, the Cultural Heritage Guards Department has asked the
Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization to stop issuing permits for filming
at Persepolis.
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"History is the Light on the Path to Future" |
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Encyclopaedia Iranica
The British Institute of Persian Studies "Persepolis Reconstructed"
The British Museum
The Royal Asiatic Society
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