Our ancient land of Iran is a vast expansion of historic and ancient relics. Every inch of this land has traces inextricably linked with our identity, culture and history. Some of these works have remained intact (or partially intact), and many have been damaged over the millennia and centuries of historical struggle. Undoubtedly, our historical and cultural monuments need constant maintenance, revitalization, and monitoring. But do we, and the guardians of Iran’s historical heritage, properly do our national duty? We do not deny the efforts of the country’s cultural heritage officials to protect the historical remains. Still, we cannot hide the need for more protection and care, and providing the necessary budget to preserve our ancestors’ heritage is a fact that has been mentioned many times but rarely noticed. On the other hand, some of the people are also careless and sometimes harmful in guarding the heritage of our ancestors. An example of the reckless behavior of some, is writing graffiti on ancient structures.
In any case, what is given here is a report of Iran’s historical and archeological heritage in the year 1401 and as they say “sample knows the sack”. If we wanted to mention the looting of historical monuments by traders and treasure hunters, it would take a long time. In addition, it was excruciating. (It should be noted that the news mentioned in this section is taken from the reports of “ISNA News Agency”).
Spring and cultural heritage events
11th of Farvardin (2nd April 2022): Fire destroyed the Sassanid tombs. The shocking news of invading the grave in Takht-e Tavoos, Marvdasht, was heard in the early days of spring. In those days, this ancient heritage became a place to light a fire. Those who had closely seen the current state of Takht Tavous Marvdasht evaluate its guarding in the worst conditions.
13th of Farvardin: The daily budget for the restoration of each historical monument is 30 thousand Tomans! According to Ezzatollah Zarghami, the Minister of Cultural Heritage, Tourism, and Handicrafts, the daily budget for restoring any historical building in Iran is less than 30 thousand Tomans. If we measure this number with the daily wage of a worker, it will be something close to one-tenth of a worker’s salary.
14th of Farvardin: A warning letter from Persepolis. The world heritage site of Takht-e Jamshid warned about drought in the country by publishing an old poster of this ancient site. Under the pretext of the 13th of Farvardin and Nature Day, this factor was posted on the Instagram of Takht-e Jamshid-Perspolis World Heritage Site. The article’s title was “Sizdah Bedar in the 1360s next to the historical monuments of Takht-e Jamshid,” It warned to “take the tragedy of drought and waterlessness in the country more seriously.”
14th of Farvardin: Destroying the Sassdanid petroglyphs to find treasure! Tampering with historical heritage reflected disturbing news. Another example was the damage to Sasanian petroglyphs. Those searching for imaginary treasures had hammered the stones around this image! In the city of Nour Abad, Pars, in the province of Fars, there is a petroglyph called “Sarab Bahram” that shows a picture of the king’s enthronement. On both sides of this image, two Sassanid nobles and commanders can be seen. Smugglers have crushed the stones with hammers during night time and a few meters from the Sasanian rock painting. The signs indicate that this event has just happened.
17th of Farvardin: Returning 29 historical objects from France to Iran. Historical works brought back from France were exhibited in the National Museum of Iran. The antiquity of these objects goies back to 5000 years upto the middle era of Iran’s history. The mentioned works were returned to Iran by the descendants of one of the French ambassadors. This ambassador represented his country in Iran during World War II and took these works to France.
20th of Farvardin: Showcase of the controversial treasure of ancient Iran in America. The Getty Villa museum in Los Angeles held an exhibition of ancient Iranian objects, where some Iranian archeologists had doubts about the authenticity of some of these objects. In contrast, some Iranian archaeologists were surprised to discover the authenticity of some of its results. This exhibition titled “Ancient Iran, the Classical World,” with a display of nearly 200 historical works from the Achaemenids to the Sassanids and their contemporary civilizations in Greece and Rome, was held on April 6 (Wednesday, Farvardin 17) at the Getty Villa Museum in Los Angeles, USA. The exhibited works were collected from American, European, and Middle Eastern museums and private collections.
21th of Farvardin: Is the Achaemenid dagger fake? A University of California professor examined the Akinaka dagger (attributed to Ardashir I Achaemenid) before it was displayed at the Getty Museum in America. He said about the authenticity of this work: I wonder if it is from Ardeshir I. I asked the Getty museum to take a sampling and test it, but they refused.
21th of Farvardin: A new discovery in Abyek, Qazvin. Speculations and the pea pottery found in Feyzabad, Abyek, Qazvin, made it clear that this area is related to the historical period and all its pottery is of pea type with geometric patterns. Smugglers had turned this area upside down many times!
24th of Farvardin: Building a wall in the structural boundary of Tange Qandil. The construction of fences and walls in the first-class sanctuary of the Sassanid petroglyph “Tange Qandil” in Fars became breaking news. According to some archeologists, this relief shows the marriage of Bahram II Sassanid with his Iranian queen. By fencing and building a wall in the sanctuary of this cultural heritage, during Nowrooz holidays, exactly when Nowrooz tourists were visiting historical sites, the cultural heritage department drew a fence around this relief and put a lock on it.
29th of Farvardin: 3 million historical objects behind closed doors Ezzatollah Zarghami, Minister of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts, released a short film from the repository of the National Museum of Iran, and said: 350,000 pieces of registered historical objects are kept in the storage of the National Museum due to lack of space, although the total number of historical, cultural objects reaches more than three million pieces. This is while the other 350,000 registered parts have been placed in the “reservoir” due to lack of space!
30th of Farvardin: Disorderly condition of the 4700-years-old cameos. The replublished pictures show that most of the petroglyphs of Izeh city in Khuzestan have been left under the sun, and not only the process of destruction and damage has intensified, but deep cracks due to erosion can be seen in most of them. The surface of some of these reliefs has been covered with mud, and some others have disappeared. Several other petroglyphs have also been scarred with been scarred with graffiti.
30th of Farvardin: What if it falls! Criticism was raised on the way that Ezzatollah Zarghami, Minister of Cultural Heritage, visited the National Museum’s repository and how the five-thousand-year-old works were handled. Ezzatollah Zarghami published a video of his visit to the national museum reservoir. His handling of pottery and a 4500-year-old marble cup provoked the reaction of cultural heritage activists.
2nd of Ordibehesht: Please come to the rescue of this historical mansion! Reports about the house of Mustofi Al-Mamalek (one of the famous Iranian politicians during the Qajar period) are worrying. In the corner of the yard, a pile of dirt and dried tree trunks can be seen, and next to them, you can see the remains of the broken stone statues of the house. The plaster of part of the basement ceiling has fallen, and the wooden poles are visible.
5th of Ordibehesht: Discovery of hundreds of cameos in Tachar Palace. Head of Fars Archeological Group announced the discovery of hundreds of stone pieces with raised designs in tachar Palace. The results of this exploration showed that a second waterway separates from the east-west waterway of the palace yard and extends to the south, near the arrow-shaped part of the palace. In this section hundreds of stone pieces with raised designs were seen, all of which are believed to be related to the main staircase of the court. In the post-Achaemenid period, these works were deliberately broken and dumped through the vertical openings that led to the yard floor.
10th of Ordibehesht: The document of the Portuguese being expelled from the Persian Gulf in danger of destruction. One of the members of the scientific group of the Cultural Heritage Research Institute announced the historical document of the victory of Imam Qoli Khan (iranian commander) in driving the Portuguese from the Persian Gulf being in risk of destruction. The document of this victory is the 3 cannons with Persian petroglyph, which is kept in Zanzibar, Africa.
11th of Ordibehesht: The story of the destruction of a structure in Qazvin’s Sabseh Meydan (Sabseh square). In the past few days, a video of demolishing an ancient structure in Sabzeh Meydan Qazvin was published, which provoked reactions. Despite this, Qazvin city renovation and Improvement Organization described this column as far from historical value. The General Director of Heritage of Qazvin Province did not consider this concrete structure to be of national value!
11th of Ordibehesht: The house of the Khan of Khorasgan (Isfahan province), in danger of destruction. In the past, the historic houses of Araie, Ataie and Rabi, Rasul Hosseini and Sadri, were all part of the house of the Khan of Khorasgan (in Isfahan province). But, in the recent years, they have been turned into separate houses by walling and selling, and there is a fear of losing them.
13th of Ordibehesht: The country’s budget for restoring historic structures increases by 78%. The Minister of Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts, and Tourism reported that with the cooperation of the government and parliament, the budget for the preservation and restoration of 35 thousand of historical monuments in the country has increased by 78%. Ezzatollah Zarghami added: This figure has doubled compared to previous years.
20th of Ordibehesht: Starting reconstruction of Sarab Bahram. The director of the world heritage site of Persepolis informed that experts have taken the emergency protection and revitalization project of the raised figure of Sarab Bahram (in Mamesani district) into their hands. The relief of Sarab Bahram, located next to the village by the same name, is one of the outstanding works of the Sassanid period.
21th of Ordibehesht: An identical Achaemenid headstone in the Lebanon museum. The Minister of Culture of the Republic of Lebanon visited the National Museum of Iran and spoke about the similarity of the Archaemenid headstone in the national museum of Lebanon to those in Iran. During his trip to Iran and visit to various parts of the National Museum of Iran and the Achaemenid Art Gallery, and spoke about the similarity of the Archaemenid headstone in the national museum of Lebanon to those in Iran.
25th of Ordibehesht: The disorderly condition of Masoudieh mansion. Report indicate the broken-down state of Masouieh mansion. Parts of the bricks of its outer wall have fallen, and the passers-by who pass by Mellat Street every day are worried about the collapse of the walls of the Qajar mansion. Since 1395, Masoudieh mansion has entered the legal process, and its doors have been closed to the public for this reason. Masoudieh mansion is one of the historical buildings of Tehran, which was built by the order of Mass’oud Mirza Zell-e Soltan. This house is registered nationally.
2nd of Khordad: The unfortunate state of buildings awaiting UNESCO registration. An expert has expressed his concern over “tourist friendly” destinations in cities such as Masouleh and Yazd, which have the risk of displacing the original residents from their historical context, and described the state of preservation and restoration of some historical monuments that are on UNESCO’s waiting list for world registration as “pathetic.”
3rd of Khordad: Achaemenid relics in struggle with oblivion! “Hakuan” mound, in the Kovar section of Shiraz, an Achemenid site, is kept inthe worst condition possible and ploughed many times by the farmers and landowners of the surrounding villages. Now, this Achaemenid site is struggling with life and death, and little of it has remained.
7th of Khordad: UNESCO badge presented to Abdul Majid Arfaie. The “Sun” badge of the UNESCO National Commission, along with the ICOM badge, was presented to Abdul Majid Arfai, professor of ancient languages and Elamite cuneiform. The Sun Watching program (commemoration of Abdul Majid Arfai) was organized by the efforts of Iran’s UNESCO National Commission and with the support of Iran’s National Museum and ICOM (National Committee of Museums in Iran).
9th of Khordad: About destruction of the historical residence of Kamal Ol-Molk. In response to the news of the destruction of the historic residence of Kamal Ol-Molk published in the local social media of Neyshabur, the head of the Department of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts of Neyshabur said: “The said destruction is related to the excavations that were carried out in the past to obtain antiques.”
15th of Khordad: The historical hill of Darab was raided. The historical hill of “Mohrehei” in one of the villages of Darab city in Fars province was extensively looted by historical and cultural relic’s dealers. The profiteers have caused irreversible damage to the archaeological layers of this historical and cultural area with unauthorized excavations and have turned it upside down.
17th of Khordad: Discovery of 6000 years old signs of accounting in south Khorasan. Cultural signs of the beginning of urbanization management in the fourth millennium BC were identified at the site of “Kalekob Ayask” in South Khorasan. This cultural period is known in the archeological world as “Uruk or Sush,” the beginning of Elamite.
21th of Khordad: New discovery in Marvdasht, Fars province. New documents from the 5th to 2nd millennium BC were discovered during the archeological excavation of Tol Castle in Fars.
28th of Khordad: Invasion of verminous insects in Tehran’s carpet museum. With the reopening of the carpet museum, after corona’s long closure, many cockroaches were found in one of the sections! During the closure, due to the darkness and unpleasant weather, the museum had become a place of verminous insects due to the failure of the ventilation system. On the other hand, behind the carpets hanging on walls, due to darkness and humidity cockroaches had nested. A mouse was seen during working hours.
Summer and its cultural heritage events
3th of Tir: Illusions of treasure hunting in Persepolis. “Discovery of hidden treasure under Takht-e Jamshid and hiding it by the cultural heritage” was a title of a short film published on social networks. However, the world heritage site of Persepolis considered the statements in that film untrue and an illusion created by enemies of our cultural heritage. The world heritage site of Takht-e Jamshid has given a statement that such words are published by delusional and ill-wishers of cultural heritage to encourage and instigate people to destroy the historic heritage of Iran.
5th of Tir: Auction of national historic relics. Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicraft protest to the sale of historical works in the “National Auction”, and said: “No permit has been issued for this auction by this Ministry.” This auction, which displayed 40 Iranian classical works of art from the Safavid and Qajar historical periods in its seventh edition, earned 43 billion and 434 million tomans from this auction.
8th of Tir: A Sassanid era settlement is sinking! The Chamshir dam in Gachsaran, Kohkilouyeh and Boyer Ahmad province, is supposed to be filled with water by the end of this year. By filling this dam, a historic site will be submerged forever, a place that dates back to the Sassanid period and has recently had ancient discoveries. this news has caused archeologists to rush to the site. A group formed by four archeology experts has conducted archaeological investigations in this historical area that will be destroyed.
11th of Tir: Wounds from earthquake in the old windbreaks of Laft. A 6-magitude earthquake in Hormozgan has damaged the windbreaks of Bandar Laft in Qeshm village. Most of their crown have fallen and have deep cracks. Authorities have repeatedly been warned to repair these windbreaks on emergency basis.
12th of Tir: Un-professional washing of Ferdowsi statue. Recently, the un-professional washing of the Ferdowsi statue in Ferdowsi Square, Tehran, has made it into two colors. This statue was built 63 years ago by Abolhassan Sediqi, master of sculpture of Iran.
14th of Tir: Discovery of a Parthian cemetery in Ahwaz. A historic cemetery belonging to the Parthian period was discovered during the excavation work in Ahvaz. Iran’s National Drilling Company employees came across a historical cemetery in one of the areas of Ahvaz while working with an excavator to build an access road to an oil well.
21th of Tir: Discovery of ancient petroglyphs in the southern heights of Mashhad. Several collections of ancient petroglyphs were discovered in the south of Mashhad. In the recent archeological surveys to identify, document, and register the historical monuments of the southern elevations of Mashhad, four new sets of ancient petroglyphs were discovered and documented. In this collection of ancient petroglyphs, many figures of rams, antelopes, and the image of a man with a bow in his hand and hunting can be seen carved on the stone surfaces.
26th of Tir: Construction of Kermanshah cable car was a mistake. The Director General of Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts, and Tourism of Kermanshah province declared the structure of the Kermanshah cable car project as non-profession and without permission from the cultural heritage department, and said: If we want the Bostan Arch to be registered globally, with the implementation of the current cable car plan, this issue will face many difficulties.
27th of Tir: Destruction of a part of the historical bridge of Niyakoo. Due to the high water pressure of the river that passes under the historical bridge of Niyakoo, the protective wall was destroyed, and 10% of this historical bridge was damaged. Niyakoo stone bridge was built during the Qajar era and is located in the central part of Astaneh-ye Ashrafiyeh city. This work has been registered as one of the national works of Iran.
1 Amordad: Stop restoration work on Isfahan Jameh Mosque. By issuing a joint letter, a group of university professors and experts in architecture for restoration demanded to stop restoration of the dome of the Abbasi mosque in Isfahan, until further research is done and the views of the most knowledgeable national and international experts on this matter have been sought.
7th of Amordad: Theft from Hamedan museum. The Bouali museum in Hamedan was robbed last fall. The news of the theft became public seven months later. Although the case was supposed to be handled without prejudice, the museum thief was released on bail during the investigation. He had come to Tehran to sell some historical artifacts, but this time he was arrested by the Tehran police.
8th of Amordad: Damage to the historic context of Yazd caused by floods. As the only adobe city in the world, Yazd province was affected by torrential rains, So much so that part of the historical context was destroyed. The city management and cultural heritage officials of Yazd asked the people to evacuate their houses in the historical context.
9th of Amordad: Heavy rains have brought damage to the Sassanid citadel “Anar” in Kerman province. The rains made holes in some of the ramparts of the citadel, which may endanger the stability of the whole structure.
10th of Amordad: Discovery of a historical hot spring after torrential rains. Heavy rains and floods revealed the lost Qajar hot springs in Kerman. This hot spring, built nearly 160 years ago by order of the ruler of Kerman in the Qajar period and in the depths of the earth, was buried decades ago due to a flood, and its place could not be found. But the rains in the city of Anar caused flooding near a historical structure and caused the ground to subside and reveal the roof of this giant bath (Garmabeh), resulting in its discovery.
15th of Amordad: The 6,000 years old “Khatun” embraced her treasures. The director of Susa World Heritage Site announced the transfer of the 6,000-year-old female burial mounds of Chogasofla to the Susa Museum after three and a half years. In 1394, archaeologists discovered an ancient cemetery with more than five thousand graves in ” Chogasofla,” southeast of Khuzestan. Among them, there were ten brick graves.
24th of Amordad: Digging up part of a historical city in Ojan. After 10 years of excavations in the historic city of Ojan archeological researchers of Tehran university discovered the summer capital of Ilkhans in East Azarbaijan province and pulled out a part of its government citadel.
25th of Amordad: Identification of the oldest human settlement in Iran. The third season began with the joint excavation of Iranian and French archaeologists in the cave of Kurd Avaj Castle in Qazvin province. The cave is considered to be the oldest human settlement in Iran, and is where the 155,000 years old tooth of a neandarthal child was discovered.
29th of Amordad: The history of Susa is now over 8000 years. Archaeologists found that the ancient area of Susa is older than what was thought until now. The age of the works found in Susa is from the end of the seventh millennium BC (6200 BC).
31th of Amordad: Discovery of the remains of a cave-dwelling hyena in the most ancient area of Iran. At the end of the 3rd season of the archeological excavations in Qale Kurd cave, in Avaj, the head of this excavation announced the discovery of the remains of a cave-dwelling hyena in this ancient area. In this chapter, the results of the age of this cave, which was sent to the dating laboratory in the Museum of Anthropology in Paris in the second chapter, showed of the 3 settlement layers with an age of 160, 210 and 400 thousand years for the Qale Kurd cave in Avaj, making this area the most ancient area.
Second of Shahrivar: Destruction of part of the Qajar caravansaria. Parts of the Qajar caravanserai “Koozegaran” collapsed during the construction of the Kerman City Center. The tremors during the construction of this commercial structure in the first days of last year also destroyed another column of this historical building. This historical caravanserai did not have such damages before the construction of the City Center.
4th of Shahrivar: Seymareh’s file was completed for registration with UNESCO. The deputy of the cultural heritage of Ilam province announced the preparation and completion of the historical-cultural landscape file of the ancient city of “Seymareh” for registration in the UNESCO world heritage. This case should be accepted in the first national phase.
6th of Shahrivar: Unclear fate for the historical structures that are not owned by the Cultural Heritage Department. According to Kamyar Abdi, archeologist, there are historical areas and structures that are not possessed by the Cultural Heritage, nor construction permits given to their owners. This has become difficult. Pointing to the historical sites that are private property and insisting that the acquisition and purchase of such works should be among the strategies and programs of the Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Abdi added: Lack of consensus and transaction regulations for the Cultural Heritage to take possession of historical areas which are personal property, leads to the destruction of ancient works. He believes: the only way to prevent this difficulty is to establish regulations to prevent their ruin and destruction.
7th of Shahrivar: The historic bath of Ahmedabad is on the verge of destruction. The historic bath of Ahmedabad is in the old neighborhood of Joyabad (Givabad) of Isfahan. Construction of a villa garden in the western part of the bath, building a dirt road, and ploughing agricultural land on the southern side of this historic structure, without considering the boundary of this building and its remains, are among the causes of destruction. The bath was built in the Qajar period, and is yet awaiting to be registered nationally!
14th of Shahrivar: A Sassanid structure was discovered in Arak. The fence and the entrance of a Sassanid building were discovered while excavating the “Zaroband 2” hill in Arak. The walls around the building are made of two thick parallel walls. The walls of this structure are made of white bricks with mud mortar.
15th of Shahrivar: Bibi Shahrbanoo is suffering from constant explosions. The continuous explosions of the Tehran cement factory in Bibi Shahrbanoo Mountains in Ray city have created deep cracks in the dome and walls of this shrine. Mining works and cement factory explosions from the past four decades until today around this thousands-of-years-old structure have caused extensive damage to the ecosystem and this cultural heritage.
17th of Shahrivar: Sassanid palace in miserable state. Field reports show that the Sassanid palace of Sarvestan in Fars province is in chaos and disarray. This palace is part of the “Sasanian Axis,” registered in the UNESCO World Heritage List. The water of the entire area has been cut off, and the repair pipes have been left in the palace area, creating ugly and unpleasant scene in this world heritage.
19th of Shahrivar: Disorderly conditions in Hajib Carvansarai, Qazvin. This carvansarai is one of the most beautiful historic carvansarais in Iran. This structure is next to a village by the same name, in Boyin Zahra district, Qazvin province. Hajib Carvansarai was built by Zainab beygum, the aunt of Shah Abbas I Safavid. This caravanserai suffered a lot of damage due to the earthquake of 1341. Now, a little of its restoration has been done, but due to the destruction, its condition is deteriorating. Hajib Caravanserai is registered in the list of national monuments.
20th of Shahrivar: Discovery of an ancient underground corridor in Esfarayen. An expert of the archeological base in Belqeys, Esfarayen, announced the discovery of an ancient underground passages in the Jahanban plains. During road construction near Bam village a remnant of connected tunnels was discovered. The length of this passage is 8 km.
25th of Shahrivar: Kamal al-Molk’s painting in Golestan Palace was torn. The news tells about the tearing of one of Kamal al-Molk’s paintings which are kept in Golestan Palace. This painting by Kamal al-Molk is called “cat and the canary’s cage”.
29th of Shahrivar: Cracks in the historical market of Arak. The issue of the destruction of the historical market of Arak goes back to several years. Many administrators and officials have spoken about preserving and reviving it in recent years. Yet, its destruction is increasing every day compared to the previous day, and inexpert renovations have not done any good.
Cultural heritage events in Autumn
9th of Mehr: Sewage found its way into the underground city of Nooshabad. Simultaneously with the archaeological exploration and dredging of the Dastkand spaces of the underground complex of Noushabad, in the towns of Aran and Bidgol, Isfahan, it was reported the damages and leakage of sewage from residential houses to this ancient space was reported.
15th of Mehr: Iran Cafe was destroyed. Iran Cafe, one of the oldest and valuable structures built in the northern part of Enghelab (Shah Reza ) Ave., in the 1300s, with an exemplary architecture of Tehran, was torn down. this was done on the 14th Mehr, known as “Tehran” day, under the pretext that “the building was unsafe”.
23th of Mehr: Destruction of historical structures of Dezful by private owners. Some of the historic buildings of Dezful district have been destroyed by private owners due to their being old and worn out. The brick structure of this district is a national asset with more than 3 historic buildings, some of which have been registered in the list of national monuments.
25th of Mehr: Tearing down Qafele-Bashi’s house in Qazvin. The “Ansari Sharqi” street project in Qazvin has been stopped for over three years, but there are still concerns about its completion. Recently, close to this project, a historical house by the name of Qafelebashi has been destroyed.
4th of Aban: Discovery of a historical cemetery in Nahavand. Discovery of “Tumulosi cemetery” on Nagharechi Hill will change the history of Nahavand. “Tepe Nagarechi,” with a height of eight meters, is located in the southeast of Nahavand and close to the orchards in the city. Nahavand was one of the important cities during Seleucid rule.
4th of Aban: The western wall of Shushtar’s water-historical structure drifted. The official of the Shushtar Cultural Heritage Lovers Association says: The drift of the wall of the west of the Shushtar World Register of Water-Historical Structures has put this part of the World Register in danger of collapsing, and it may be destroyed if not taken care of.
9th of Aban: The fire in Kerman market did not cause serious damages to it. Following the fire of the Vakil market in Shiraz, the historical Vakil market was not damaged; only parts were blackened and covered with soot.
15th of Aban: Destruction of Shiraz Ilkhani garden with permission from Cultural Heritage. The historical wall of the Ilkhani Garden in Shiraz was destroyed so the loaders could enter the Qajar Garden more easily! The job of these machines was to empty the mud dug out from the pit in the corner of this historic garden in order to build a kitchen and restaurant. Regarding destruction of part of the wall of Ilkhani garden and transformation of the use of this garden, Cultural Heritage experts believe that though this was done with the permission of the General Department of cultural Heritage of Fars province, it should be pointed out that this act was not according to the law.
17th of Aban: Archeologists’ discovery in the basin of Lake Urumia. The archaeological survey of the Urmia lake area led to the discovery and identification of 12 settlement sites related to the Bronze Age, the historical era (Parthian and Sasanian), and the Islamic period.
22nd of Aban: Discovery of a historical wall in Sari. In the first archeological season, archeologists discovered about six km of historical wall in Sari district, Mazandaran province. The width of this wall reaches 35 meters in some parts.
24th of Aban: The dangerous condition of the historical house of Mostofi Shushtar. The damaged water and sewerage network, water leakage, and erosion in Shawadan put a part of the historical house of Mostofi in grave danger. This complex has a bath, a mosque, a bridge and the historical house of Mostofi. The architecture of this house has the style of the Qajar period.
5th of Azar: a discovery by Iranian and French archaeologists. Iranian and French archaeologists, in a joint excavation, in the Parthian and Sasanian historical areas of Viranshahr, in the north of Faruj city, North Khorasan province, discovered a monument for religious or administrative use.
10th of Azar: Seven million-year-old fossils in Lorestan. Archaeological research shows that the fossils discovered in Lorestan province are seven million years old and go back to the Paleolithic period. The seven-million-year-old fossils of Dere Dime Noorabad, Lorestan, are kept in the fortress of Falak-al-Flak, Khorramabad.
14th of Azar: A nationally registered bridge is about to collapse. The Director of Cultural Heritage, Tourism, and Handicrafts of Andimshek said: “Due to natural and manmade damages and also atmospheric changes, the nationally registered bridge of Balaroud, /andimeshk is on the verge of destruction, and it can no longer be restored. Balaroud bridge is located 27 kilometers north of Andimshek city and in Balaroud village, in Alvar tropical district. This bridge was one of the most valuable sightseeing places of andimeshk left from the Sassanid era.”
23 of Azar: Pahlavanpur Historical Garden of Yazd and the threat of its destruction. The deputy of the cultural heritage of Yazd province reported the status of the “Pahlavanpur” World Garden in Mehriz, being threatened by construction work and spoke about the urgent need to determine the boundary of four historical forts in this province.
28th of Azar: Discovery of 1700-years-old plaster work in the east of Iran. The head of the archeological excavations of “Bazeh Hoor” announced the discovery of the remnants of a fire temple with wall paintings and prominent plasterwork of the Sassanid period. Baze Hoor site is next to Robat Sefid village, 70 km from Mashhad city in Razavi Khorasan province.
Cultural heritage events in Winter
4th of Dey: The old building of Kafsh-e Melli was torn down. The first building belonging to Kafshe Melli (a shoe manufacturing company), which stood in the corner of Ghiyam square in Tehran for almost nine decades and was in the process of being revived, was finally destroyed under the pretext of “falling and threatening the safety of pedestrians and citizens.”
9th of Dey: Falakol Aflak Fortress will soon be registered globally. The Minister of Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts, and Tourism said: “Falakol Aflak Castle alone is a sign and symbol of the history, culture, and civilization of our Iran for thousands of years, and the process will start for its global registration.”
14th of Dey: Ayvan Karkheh being threatened. Zahra Mirashe, a member of the academic staff of the Department of Archeology of the Islamic Azad University of Dezful, says: Ivan Karkhe is a unique site of the Sassanid period, in which we can find works from the Sassanid period by exploring it, but it is still left alone and archeological excavations are not performed there. Right now, the main problem of this ancient site is illegal excavations.
14th of Dey: Discovery of 1500-year-old petroglyphs in Pasargad. An ancient stone petroglyph was discovered in the Balaghi Strait of Pasargad in Fars province. Two muntaineers came across this stone inscription and informed the Pasargad World Heritage site authorities. These two mountaineers, who asked not to be named, believed these relics to be the history of this land, which belongs to all Iranians, and efforts should be made to preserve them.
28th of Dey: Discovery of hundreds of historical areas in Jahrom after 10 years archeological excavations. The archaeological research of Jahrom in Fars province ended after ten years. Five hundred forty-eight sites and artifacts from the Paleolithic era to the first Islamic centuries were identified and discovered. The oldest area identified from the central part dates back to the Middle Paleolithic period. In addition, sites from the new Paleolithic and meta-paleolithic eras were also identified.
1st of Bahman: Part of the roof of Gheysar bazaar collapsed. The top of the entrance of Chitsazha section of Gheysar market of Isfahan collapsed after the rains. According to Amiri, Director of Public Relations of the General Directorate of Cultural Heritage of Isfahan Province, behind the same part where the collapse occurred, there is a shopping center (like a mall) that has taken cracks. Unfortunately, the owner of this shopping center is in the process of destroying it on his own and purposely, and this has caused the wall behind the Chitsazha center to be empty (void). Because this part is empty, both the wall and roof are damaged, and the Chitsazha section has lost its support from the back. It’s cracked, the roof is damaged, and the bituminous waterproofing systems also need to be rebuilt.
2nd of Bahman: Aref Qazvini’s house is destroyed. On the death anniversary of Aref Qazvini, Saeed Zarepour, a cultural heritage activist, published some photos of the process of destruction and negligence of the cultural heritage of the nationally registered house attributed to Aref Qazvini in Hamdollah Mostofi passage, Qazvin.
3rd of Bahman: Results of excavation in another archeological site of Chamshir. Archeological excavations in are No. 74, Chamshir, confirmed that this complex belonged to nomadic groups in the middle Islamic centuries and was abandoned after that. Archeologists have identified nearly 140 areas in the water catchment area behind Chamshir dam. In the initial investigations there are speculations of the existence of artifacts with an age of more than 10 to 16 thousand years (paleolithic periods) as well as the neolithic, middle Elamite, and Islamic periods. In the latter excavations, they found a winter (seasonal) settlement and a Sassanid resort.
3rd of Bahman: Treasure hunting of the Sassanid fire temple. By taking images of the Sassanid fire pit in Simkin, Fars province, a cultural heritage researcher and activist has not only pointed out at the chaotic condition of this Sassanid structure but also reported about the failed excavations and digs of treasure hunters. In the past year, warnings about the extent of unauthorized digging in this place were given. According to this cultural heritage activist, the looters of historical artifacts and cultural heritage relics, have dug a big in the floor of this square. As a result of these excavations, they have caused irreversible damage to this Sassanid structure.
3rd of Bahman: Pelabachiloon is about to collapse. Mohammad Azarkish, a lover of cultural heritage, referred to the erosion and the need to restore the historical staircase of Pelabachiloon, Dezful, and said: the accumulation of long-term neglect has led this valuable historical structure to ruin in such a way that it may collapse and be destroyed soon. Mohammad Azarkish added: “Based on observations and investigations, Pelabachiloon structure is on the verge of collapse, and if necessary restoration work is not carried out this year, we should expect its destruction.”
4th of Bahman: the end of Parse Gate exploration. After ten years and in the last season of archaeological excavations, the Iranian-Italian joint delegation proved that Cyrus, the founder of the Achaemenid Empire, ordered the construction of Pardis gateway of Parseh, and this magnificant gate started to be used during the reign of his son Cambyses. “Darvazeh Pardis” was discovered in “Tal-Ajori,” three kilometers northwest of Persepolis. The boundaries of the site of Takht-e Jamshid include 80,000 hectares of surrounding land; in the past few decades, agriculture and road construction have prevented archaeological research in this area. The total written documents, construction material, the motif used in the decoration of the facade of the structure, carbon 14 dating, and protocol aspects of this structure proves that it was built after 539 BC and in honor of conquer of Babylon, by the orders of Cyrus the Great.
4th of Bahman: Discovery of Elamite artifacts in a dam that is submerging history! Archaeologists have found cultural and architectural artifacts from the Elam period, such as brick-colored clay and embossed seals, in one of the “Chamshir” dam catchment areas. According to archaeologists, area 113, although being an indicator, is going under water due to the dam’s water filling process. Nevertheless, the Cultural Heritage Research Institute has announced that archaeologists’ exploration will continue. According to the Research Institute of Cultural Heritage and Tourism, archaeologists in this historical area have reached a proper knowledge about the periods of settlement in this area, the use of spaces, relative chronology, and animal remains.
4th of Bahman: Royal crowns in the Treasury of Central Bank. Ezzatollah Zarghami visited this treasure after the scandals about Central Bank’s jewelry treasure and confirmed the existence of two royal crowns in this collection. Earlier, the government spokesperson said in a Twitter message on the 26th of Dey about the disappearance of Iranian treasure by the Pahlavi family. The exit of these two royal crowns was also mentioned in this news. The central bank’s treasury has been closed since the coronavirus epidemic, and it was impossible to visit this treasure.
6th of Bahman: Iran is a museum of subsidence. In the training workshop “Subsidence and its challenges in the field of the cultural heritage of the country,” it was said: more than 40% of the subsidence in the world is less than 2 cm, and only 10% of the world has subsidence above 10 cm, while in most of the plains of Iran, such as Kerman, Semnan and Isfahan, subsidence is 12 cm and in Tehran 15 cm so that Iran has become a museum of subsidence.
7th of Bahman: The theft and destruction of ancient brick inscriptions in Chaghazanbil. A cultural heritage researcher recently visited the Choghazanbil Ziggurat and witnessed the destruction of parts of this structure’s antique bricks and inscriptions from the Elamite era (13th century BC). He said that each time, when following up this issue, he was given justifications and vague answers. According to this activist, parts of ancient bricks and inscriptions from ancient times have been stolen and destroyed.
8th of Bahman: Theft of a historic tomb. Cultural heritage activists reported theft and damage, by treasure hunters, to a Sassanid tomb in Meimand city of Firoozabad, Fars. Also, in the stone on which the tomb was carved, holes were dug with an electric drill, causing significant damage to this historic structure.
9th of Bahman: Improper restoration of the 2,000-year-old fortress of Tehran The archeological community of Iran protested the method of restoring the 2,000-year-old “Rashkan” fortress in Tehran city with cement and also warned about the way in which our country’s cultural and civilizational heritage is handled.
9th of Bahman: The history of metalworking in Tehran goes back to 7000 years. By examining historical signs in Tehran plains, researchers found that metalworking in this area has a history of nearly 7000 years.
13th of Bahman: A new discovery in Golestan Palace. Archeologists found a limestone structure in Golestan Palace in Tehran that is older than the palace. This new finding is believed to have been a bath.
16th of Bahman: Documentation of 250 Sasanian coins. The Department of Ancient Languages and Ancient Texts of the Research Institute of Linguistics, Inscriptions, and Texts documented 250 Sasanian coins from the Kerman Museum coin collection. The surviving coins are Ardeshir I, Shapur I, Bahram I, Bahram II, Narsi, Hormoz II, Shapur II, Shapur III, Bahram IV, Yazdgerd II, Pirouz, Ghobad, Khosrow I, Hormoz IV and Khosrow II.
22nd of Bahman: Danger is lurking behind ancient and artistic works of museums. The Research Institute for the Protection and Restoration of Historical-Cultural Artifacts, with the warning that ancient and historical artifacts in the reservoirs and showcases of museums are in danger of severe damage and corrosion, announced the implementation of a project intending to improve the quality of the construction of showcases and museum cabinets.
26th of Bahman: Part of the roof of the historic market in Dardasht collapsed. Following the 24-hour rains in Isfahan city, the top of a part of the historical market in Dardasht collapsed.
1st of Esfand: Hashti mansion of Kamaraj on verge of collapse. Following the rains in Kazeroon district, erosion has increased in some valuable and outstanding historical structures (such as the Hashti historical structure). If the structure is strengthened and revived, compensating for its destruction will be easy and affordable.
9th of Esfand: A historical structure converted into a shelter for addicts! Secretary of the Association of lovers of the cultural heritage of Bagh Malek, Khuzestan, informed that the historic structure of “Arg Arghavani” is left unattended, without any maintenance, attention or repair, and has now become a place for drug addicts to take shelter.
10th of Esfand: the historical structure of Dezful is on the verge of collapse. The historic house of “Aramesh” in the historical context of Dezful is collapsing. Cultural activists have pointed out that the step-by-step destruction of nationally registered houses in Dezful continues, and there is no solution or budget to end these destructions.
12th of Esfand: Sassanid fire temple has become a parking lot! The Sassanid Fire Temple of Kazeroon, registered in the National Heritage List of Iran in 1318, has become a parking lot for heavy agricultural machinery and cars.
15th of Esfand: The Bagh Malek fort has been restored and repaired. The Department of Cultural Heritage of Bagh Malek announced the restoration and improvement of this city’s “Qaleh-tal” historic building.
16th of Esfand: Unauthorized diggers encroaching on the ancient area of Monjanigh. according to Nasrin Karimi, lover of culture heritage, before the funds for research and exploration on the ancient site of Monjanigh is released, (unauthorized) excavations have been carried out in parts of this historical area to obtain and remove historical and cultural objects.
17th of Esfand: Qazvin traditional garden was victimized once again.
20th of Esfand: Excavation of the 5,000 years old hill as part of students’ educational project. “Tapeh Pir” is one of the 900 sites of bronze age in Sistan and Baluchistan, with the oldest settlement period in the region, is being explored for the education of Zabul University students. Pir Sistan Hill is one of the areas of the southern plain of Sistan, located in the area of Rostam Castle in Sistan and the watershed of the Biaban River.
20th of Esfand: Villages which will be drowned with the opening of the Khorsan 3 dam. Khorsan 3 dam is one of the 25 dams on the Karun attributes in Zagros that are built without obtaining legal permits from the environmental and socio-economic impact assessment, and its operational procedure has started on Khorsan river on the border of Kohgiluyeh and Boyer Ahmad, Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari provinces. With the construction of this dam, more than 2,400 hectares of forests and bushes in the Zagros region in these two provinces will be flooded, and thousands of rare forest reserves of Iranian oak, baneh, and wild almond species will be destroyed in the border line of the Dena protected area.
22nd of Esfand: Mirfenderski’s tombstone was restored. The head of construction and urban services of the historical, cultural, and religious complex of Takht-e Foulad announced the completion of the restoration of Hakim Mirfenderski’s tomb.
22nd of Esfand: Tehran’s tourist attractions from the perspective of cartoonists “Tanze Tehran”. A caricature exhibition with the theme “Tehran’s tourist attractions” was held on the eve of Nowruz at Shahid Beheshti Metro Gallery. The “Tanz Tehran” cartoon exhibition will be held from the 20th of Esfand, 1401, to April 15, 1402, at the metro gallery of Shahid Beheshti metro station. Fans can visit this exhibition every day from 6 am to 10 pm.
26th of Esfand: Destruction of two historical buildings to build a parking lot. Qader Shirvani, an archaeologist, announced the destruction of two historic mansions in Narmashir city of Kerman for construction of a parking lot. The governor of Hosseinabad village decided to destroy these mansions to create a parking lot at the entrance of the village.
26th of Esfand: Extension of visiting hours. By increasing the visiting hours for Golestan Palace, the doors of this world heritage will remain open until the evening during the Nowrouz holidays. Golestan Palace world heritage complex announced the visiting hours of this collection from 9:00 am to 9:00 pm from the 29th of Esfand, 1401, until the beginning of Ramadan.
29th of Esfand: Hashti Kamaraj on the verge of collapse destruction. The historical structure of Hashti Kamaraj, 30 kilometers south-west of Kazerun, is a two-story building with a central courtyard that has been abandoned and left to itself for years, and a part of it is buried under the soil. This structure has been eroded due to climate changes and occasional rains and is facing destruction.
29th of Easfand: 20 new artifacts will be displayed on the eve of Nowrooz in the museum of Shapurkhast fortress in Khorramabad. According to Ata Hasanpour, Director General of Cultural Heritage, Tourism, and Handicrafts of Lorestan, 20 new works will be displayed for the first time in the province, which mainly includes weapons, equestrian tools, and equipment, ritual objects, and works related to votive patterns, plaster casts of the Sassanid Ghalagori Cave and There are several other works. He continued: This change in the content of the Archeology Museum of Falakol Aflak Castle has been done on the occasion of the arrival of Nowruz and to welcome more visitors.
