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.CAIS NEWS© ARCHAEOLOGICAL & CULTURAL NEWS OF THE IRANIAN WORLD |
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Oppositions to Inundation of Sivand Dam Still Continue
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14 February 2007 |
Edited by Shapour Suren-Pahlav
LONDON,
(CAIS) -- Today, a group of cultural heritage
enthusiasts and NGOs gathered in front of Islamic regime’s Parliament to voice their objection to the flooding of Sivand Dam by the
theoretic regime. Large number of protesters carried placards in support of
saving historical sites, which are located in Bolaghi Valley behind the Sivand
Dam and will submerge with inundation of the dam.
According
to Persian service of CHN, what distinguishes this gathering from the others is
the wide variety of crowd who have come from different Iranian provinces
including Fars, Khuzestan, and Esfahan with a coherent approach to express their
anger with drowning of Iranian historical sites by the regime, including local
Qashqais among the crowd with their traditional dresses who have come from long
distances to take part in this gathering all indicates that the issue has become
a matter of great national concern. With signing a declaration, more than 30
political teams have also announced their disagreement with inundation of Sivand
Dam.
Protesters
have threatened that they would continue their objections through other
governmental organizations if they do not receive a positive response to this
request by the Parliament.
Earlier
to this, Amir Reza Khadem, member of Cultural Commission of Iran’s Parliament
said that in an attempt to put an end to this crisis, he has proposed the
possibility for flooding the reservoir of the dam only up to 1800 meters high to
Islamic Republic’s President during his recent attendance in the Parliament.
Kadem believes that this height of water would prevent the possible damages
which the inundation of the dam would pose to the historical sites in the area
including the mausoleum of Cyrus the Great, located 9-kilometre distance of the
dam.
Condemning
the weak policies of the president of Iran’s Cultural Heritage and Tourism
Organization (ICHTO) towards Sivand Dam, Khadem said: “[Islamic Republic’s]
Minister of Energy has accused ICHTO for showing indifference toward the
inundation of Sivand Dam by failing to fulfil its obligation for submitting a
comprehensive record about the negative consequences of flooding of the dam to
this Ministry. Meanwhile it is also said that authorities of the Organization
have unofficially announced their agreement with inundation of the dam.”
Member
of Cultural Commission of Iran’s Parliament expressed hope that Regime’s
Ministry of Energy and Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization would reach to
an agreement based on this proposal provided that Iran’s President announces
his agreement within the shortest time.
The news about construction of Sivand Dam in Bolaghi Valley which is an important archaeological site close to the world heritage site of Pasargadae raised many concerns and angers among Iranian as well as the cultural enthusiasts all over the world. Ever since the initial phase of Sivand Dam construction, large groups of archaeologists and experts from Iran and across the globe became engaged in an emergency salvation project to save the remaining historical evidence at Bolaghi Valley before inundation of the dam made this salvation project the biggest one ever in the history of Iran’s archaeological activities.
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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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