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LONDON, (CAIS) -- With the continuation of construction activities to build a hotel and an amphitheater in the vicinity of Eshkaf-e Salman (Salman’s Cave), also called Tarisha Temple, where the biggest Elamite cuneiform inscription is located, the cultural landscape of this Elamite monument has been put in a real jeopardy, taking away the chance for the world registration of the inscription.

Nearly three months ago, a local Islamic court in Khuzestan province voted in favor of a hotel construction in the landscape of Tarisha. Previously it was postponed for about two years upon a lawsuit filed against the private owner of the hotel (who is related to the prominent members of the Islamic regime in Tehran), by the KCHTD (Khuzestan Cultural Heritage and Tourism Department) of the province. Following the Islamic court’s ruling, construction of this 10-storied hotel was resumed. Meanwhile, the Department is trying to take the case back to the court for a rehearsal, believing that it could indeed convince the court not only to stop the hotel construction, but also to issue an order demanding the owner to demolish what has been built so far.

Announcing this news, Sadegh Mohammadi, Director of KCHTD said that the request has not yet been submitted to the judiciary committee or the court itself and is still in its initial procedural stages.

On the other hand, Faramarz Khushab, chairman of the Association of Cultural Heritage Supporters of Izeh, expressed his dissatisfaction from KCHTD for having failed to take an effective measure promptly and announced the Association’s readiness for saving the landscape of Tarisha Temple. 

“If construction of the hotel in the vicinity of Tarisha is not stopped, soon we would have to face other constructions in the landscapes of other valuable sites in this region including that of Kul Farah,” said Khushab adding that the Association is able to convince the court to the destruction of the hotel by presenting legal materials and logical arguments.

Construction of the hotel at a close proximity to one of the most ancient sites in Iran which bears some reliefs and inscriptions mostly denoted to the Elamite civilization, had originally started without any approval from KCHTD and supisingly could win the approval of the Islamic court after a two-year suspension caused by the Department’s legal complaint.

The Tarisha Temple is home to the largest neo-Elamite inscription ever found in Iran. The site also has four bas-reliefs, two of which are inside a nearby cave. One of the bas-reliefs depicts a woman beside a man and a priest in a traditional ceremony.

A few days ago, unidentified persons have vandalised this unique cuneiform inscription overnight, a cultural heritage catastrophe caused by lack of security provided by the appropriate organizations on the site.

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