The Strategic Council of Persepolis has decisively removed the proposal to expand Marvdasht city toward the historic site of Persepolis from its agenda.
During its recent session, the council unanimously rejected the plan to extend Marvdasht and annex parts of Persepolis’ protected buffer zones into the urban area. This decision followed a field inspection by Farhad Azizi, Director-General of National and World Heritage Sites, who reviewed the areas highlighted in maps released by both Marvdasht’s parliamentary representative and the Persepolis World Heritage Site office. Consequently, any plans to expand the city toward Persepolis have been officially canceled.
The meeting, which addressed the proposal to include the second-degree buffer zone of Persepolis within Marvdasht’s city limits, was attended by the Director-General of Fars Province Cultural Heritage, the Deputy Governor of Fars, the Director-General of National and World Heritage Sites, the head of the Persepolis World Heritage Site, and archaeologists serving on the Strategic Council of Persepolis. Along with halting Marvdasht’s expansion, the plan to annex the second-degree buffer zone was also removed from consideration.
It is worth noting that Marvdasht’s parliamentary representative had previously announced intentions to add roughly 961 hectares to the city. Had this plan been executed, it could have threatened Persepolis’ designation as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
