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.CAIS NEWS© ARCHAEOLOGICAL & CULTURAL NEWS OF THE IRANIAN WORLD |
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In addition to Kaba of Zoroaster in Naqsh-e Rostam, King Xerxes Tomb also will be destroyed if Esfahan-Shiraz Railway Project to be constructed
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12 September 2007 |
LONDON,
(CAIS - Edited by Shapour Suren-Pahlav) -- In
addition to destruction of Kaba of Zoroaster less than 10 years, also based on
existing evidence such as the cracks which exist on the body of Xerxes’ and
the other Achaemenid imperial tombs in Naqsh-e Rostam, and the close distance of
Esfahan-Shiraz railway to this historic site, experts give a strong possibility
that the rumbling of the trains would break the tomb of Xerxes in two halves.
Warning
about this unpleasant fact with presenting a number of pictures as evidence, in
the one-day seminar with the subject of Endangered Naqsh-e Rostam which was held
yesterday by attendance of cultural heritage experts and archaeologists,
Mohammad Taghi Atayi, archaeologist and expert of Pars-e Pasargadae Research
Centre said: “Most probably, the constructors of this tomb were aware about
existence of these cracks on the body of the mountain during ancient times,
which is why they devised a method to prevent the penetration of water in the
tomb through directing the rain water into a pool through a canal above king
Xerxes tomb. However, today this pool has been filled up, therefore the rain
water enter into the cracks and widen them.”
The
jolts caused by the train will worsen the situation of the tomb which might turn
into a cultural heritage disaster.
While
all cultural heritage enthusiasts presented in the seminar, voiced their concern
over hearing these statements, one of the attendees in the seminar expressed his
opposition in favour of Islamic Republic’s Ministry of Road and Transportation
and called Atayi’s comments groundless. This opponent man, who didn’t
introduce himself, claimed that the rail construction will pose no harm to
Naqsh-e Rostam historic site and said that nothing has been approved yet.
However,
cultural heritage enthusiasts present in the in the seminar tried to calm down
the summit to prevent any kind of tension. It is also said that a number of
authorities of regime’s Railway Organization attended the seminar anonymously
and showed no reaction to the statements.
Recently
the news about construction of Esfahan-Shiraz railway only in vicinity of
Naqsh-e Rostam historic site have became a matter of controversy and has raised
a lot of concern among cultural heritage experts who are worry about the
negative consequences of this project on Naqsh-e Rostam. In addition to
intruding the cultural landscape of this historic site, cultural heritage
experts strongly believe that construction of the railway only in 550 meters of
Naqsh-e Rostam would pose irrecoverable damages to this historic site. It would
also reduce the chance of Naqsh-e Rostam’s world registration to zero. Parse
Pasargadae Research Centre is determined to prepare the ground for registration
of Naqsh-e Rostam in list of UNESCO’s World Heritage site as annex of
Persepolis world heritage site.
The
Islamic Regime’s Ministry of Road and Transportation has officially been ordered by
ICHTO to change path of the railway connecting Esfahan to Fars in an attempt to
save this historic site. One of the solutions which have been proposed by
experts of Pars-e Pasargadae experts for saving the cultural landscape of this
Achaemenid site against railway construction and its aftermath harmful effects,
is e of the Achaemenid site is to construct a 6-kilometer-long tunnel from
Sivand to Shoul village and direct the train through the tunnel.
Naqsh-e
Rostam is an archaeological site located about 3 kilometres northwest of
Persepolis in Iran’s Fars province. It contains four tombs which belong to
Achaemenid emperors. In addition to tombs, there are also seven Sasanian rock
carvings located underneath the tombs.
This one-day seminar was held by effort of Iran’s Association of Cultural Heritage Watch, in conjunction with Islamic assembly of Tehran University and scientific associations of archaeology union. A number of well-known Iranian archaeologists such as Kamyar Abdi, Mehrdad Malekzadeh, Mohammad Taghi Atayi, and Mohammad Taghi Rahnemayi gave lectures about introducing the Elamite, Achaemenid, Sasanian, and Islamic evidence of Naqsh-e Rostam historic site and focused on the importance for preserving this invaluable cultural heritage site in view of tourism attraction.
Since
1979 the Islamic Republic has been in a state of constant war with the Iranian
people as well as their national heritage.
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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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