Iran’s historic sites have been facing increasing dangers in the past few months. Some of the concerning issues are: building Isfahan’s metro through the Chahrbagh Gardens; passing of railroad tracks near the Perspolis Palace; the possible flooding of the Biston site due to the building of new underground water tunnels; installing electrical generators near the 8000-year old city of Toos; and the destruction of the walls of the Safavi Mosque in Tehran to build 5 store fronts. All the while the organization responsible for maintaining Iran’s historic sites, the Cultural Heritage Organization, is either ignorant of these developments or unable to reverse the trend.

In Isfahan, about 1,800 residents gathered in front of the house of justice to protest the building of metro rails through the Chahrbagh Gardens. But Seifollahi, in charge of developing Isfahan’s metro system, called the protestors a bunch of idlers; and the metro rails were built nonetheless, destroying parts of the historic pool inside the gardens and now making its way to the Siose Pol.

Even worse news is circulating about the destruction of historic sites in other parts of Iran. The building of new railroad tracks in Shiraz around the historic Pasargad site is among such news. The new tracks are only 300 meters away from the Naghsh-e Rostam statue, located at the heart of the Perspolis Palace. According to Amin Mahmoudzadeh, the former head of the Parse-Pasargad Research Foundation, “If Iran’s historic sites are left alone for 20 years the wear and tear would be much less damaging that what is happening now in the name of care.”

The Biston site in Kermanshah is also under the threat of destruction even though UNESCO recently recognized it as a historic site. Iran’s Cultural Heritage Organization has taken the National Iranian Petrochemical Company to court over this. But according to the “Iran, My Land” weblog “certain interests are involved whose power exceeds even that of government officials.” The court case has interrupted the building of water tunnels directly beneath the Biston site, but the petrochemical company’s activities in the nearby areas still threatens this historic site.

Iran’s historic sites are rapidly being destroyed and the Cultural Heritage Organization is unable to reverse the trend. No powerful voices are really coming out of the country either, and seldom do we see social or political activists voicing their concern over these matters. As such, the international community is unaware of many of these matters as well. It is in this environment of silence that the government does whatever it wishes to Iran’s historic sites by giving away million-dollar deals. As the “Iran, My Land” weblog correctly notes, this kind of an environment calls for a national campaign to protest the destruction of Iran’s historic sites.