The painful lament of Ismail Yaghmaei, the country’s leading archeologist on the ruins of the ancient Argan met with reactions from the public and experts; reactions on deep concerns about the present situation of our historic heritages and a vague future if this situation continues.
According to ISNA, after a video was released expressing the displeasure of veteran archaeologist Ismail Yaghmaei over the ruins of the Arjan archeological complex, Shahram Zare, one of the archaeologists who played a role in determining the area and the boundary of this archeological complex, said: “Unfortunately, we are witnessing lak of transparency of information, which is not published, and experts and the public are treated as foreigners where decisions made about this ancient site is concerned.”
“To date, everything I have heard has been from friends or rumors. I have not heard or seen any direct information about the Arjan archeological site directly, and we have not even been asked for advice,” the archaeologist told ISNA. During this period, in the media or official media connected with the Ministry of Cultural Heritage and the General Directorate of Cultural Heritage of Khuzestan Province, there has been no clear information about Arjan about the new changes. The criticism is that information about Argan has been secretive, both in informing specialists and others. This is a huge loss for our heritages, as a whole.
Zare continued: “Another point is that people comment on Arjan’s situation who do not have knowledge and expertise on this issue and are not in a position to comment. On the other hand, a research program has been carried out for Argan to determine its scope and boundary; and budget and efforts have been spent to define and approve this area and its boundaries. Therefore, logic demands that if there is a problem, an expert’s opinion should be sought and action taken to find a solution. As a member of the Arjan Archaeological Site and Determination Group, as far as I know, this has not happened, and I consider decisions that have not been made based on the opinion of experts to be unprofessional and uninformed. This is my judgment now unless proven otherwise.
The archeologist stress on the remarks of Morteza Hessari, former head of the archeological research institute, about the Argan boundary, which he described as “idealized” and required reconsideration for defining a “satellite boundary”, and stated that the boundary was discussed, studied and reviewed for 3-4 years, and finally it was approved and notified to Khuzestan province. When such an action is taken, people who do not have knowledge and expertise about this particular case should not be the basis for decision making. I will not comment on the definitions “idealized” and “satellite boundary” because these terms are unclear. Sometime, because the managers do not act responsibly, at the right time and comprehensively, they are not capable of seeing the chain of events, and on the other hand, they do not seek help from experts, therefore they cannot understand the different topics and as a result make strange comments.
Zare also said that the current management in the Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism, and Handicrafts should not allow the negative legacy left by the previous administration and the problems accumulated to determine the direction of decisions. They should deal with Argan and other similar topics with a clear and open mind.
He added: “I have heard that in a meeting held with some former directors of cultural heritage and without the presence of experts, a decision was made about the passage of the water pipeline through the Arjan area.” If this is true, it is not a good thing. I do not see such a decision made by the current cultural, heritage management independently, but a continuation of previous management mistakes. I suggest that the current administration and deputy minister of cultural heritage should decide not to let the negative managerial results continue to effect cases related to the past.
The archeologist further pointed out that in the past decades, several activities have been carried out to identify and research and save and preserve the archaeological heritage of Arjan; a period took place in the years before the revolution. One period of excavation took place in the years before the revolution. In the 1960s Argan archeological site was accidently damaged during dam construction work, and there an Elamite tomb appeared, excavated by archeologists, namely, Khalilian and Kaboli and Mr. Towhidi and Yaghmaei in challenging conditions. However, the site was abandoned, and the institutions in charge of monitoring and protection did not perform their duties. In a recently released film archeologist Yaghmaie is seen at the site crying in mourning. In the 80s, activities resumed, and a cultural heritage base was established in Arjan. At the same time the location and boundary of this complex were determined by a group led by Dr. Kamyar Abdi. The entire city of Behbahan was surveyed for several seasons. In the ’90s, Dr. Abbas Moghadam did remarkable work in Behbahan and significant research and conservation work in the “Chegasfeli” area. In addition to these, of course, some activities were carried out by the experts of the province.
Zare said: “Despite these activities, the weak point lies in the unstable and inexperienced management, both in the general directorate of the Khuzestan Cultural Heritage and also in the headquarters in Tehran, preventing a comprehensive, long term and integrated plan to recognize and protect its rich heritage in the region”. Custodians in the management section of the cultural heritage should investigate to find out what has happened that several waves of protection and research have been formed in Arjan and Behbahan so far and have been interrupted each time, and now the work has reached a point where the crying and mourning of a high rank archeologist over the ruins of argan is published.
Last summer, satellite images of Arjan were released, showing that part of the ancient complex, called the mosque, had been razed to the ground. These images were taken by google earth in 2020 and 2021. However, the Arjan and Chegasofla National Heritage Site director responded by saying, “I am not saying that there is no destruction in the area at the level shown in these images, it is not true.” At the time, there was talk of improving the 400-hectare area of Arjan, the then head of the Archaeological Research Institute told ISNA.
Morteza Hesari, the former head of the Archaeological Research Institute of Iran, told ISNA that the designation of 400 hectares of land for “Arjan” was “ideal” and that such an area might be great for areas where decisions can be made based on multiple principles. However, the fact is that when this area was defined, there were invasions and construction activities in that area. Therefore, it is necessary to study the works around the cement factory and consider the cultural landscape. Parts of this area with cultural heritage should be reviewed by satellite so that the cement factory is not allowed to enter that area.
Elamite-era-golden royal armlet, known as Argan ring of power, found in the Elamite tomb
Argan is one of the richest ancient sites in Iran, whose longevity has been attributed to the Elamite, Sassanid, and Islamic eras and its architectural features, including the use of bitumen mortar and gypsum plaster, as well as the artifacts found there, like the golden cup, the symbol of Iran in the Tokyo Olympics, and the Golden Ring of Power have a historical and worldwide reputation.
Based on the available documents and maps, in 2008, an area of nearly 1800 hectares was determined and approved as the area of the Arjan historical complex. Nevertheless, the ancient Arjan complex has always been accessible by farmers and factories over the past half-century. In addition to agriculture and the passage of oil pipelines and illegal excavations in this ancient complex, in 1393, even though the area of Arjan was clear, Behbahan (Khuzestan) Cement Factory built a wall inside the area of Arjan without the permission of the General Directorate of Cultural Heritage of Khuzestan Province. For some time now, the passage of the water pipeline through the arena of this ancient complex has made headlines, while at the same time, the issue of revising (downsizing) in the area and the arena of Arjan has been pursued.
