No Undamaged Archaeological Sites Remain in Iran

Iranian archaeologists say in interviews with domestic news agencies that despite having 'over a million' historical sites and monuments, 'there is not a single hill or archaeological site left undamaged in the country.' Abdolreza Mohajerinejad, a specialist in Iran's historical period, criticized the 'indifference of officials' towards the destruction of sites and historical monuments by traffickers, stating in an interview with ILNA news agency that despite 'over a million archaeological sites, unfortunately, there is not a single site or cemetery that is properly protected.' He added that in Iran, there is not even 'a clear judicial procedure for dealing with traffickers and illegal excavators.' Mohajerinejad pointed out that the Ministry of Cultural Heritage has hired 'two thousand protection forces,' but 'most of these forces do not go on missions due to lack of resources and training, and worse, these forces have neither received adequate training nor have the tools, and 90 percent of them are not judicial agents.' ILNA reported that if in the past 'illegal excavators operated in the darkness of the night,' today they have 'come out of hidden and underground activities and openly request cooperation from archaeologists.' According to Reza Mehrafarin, an archaeologist and university lecturer, 'the work of illegal excavators has reached a point where if it is not once a week, it is definitely once a month that they contact and send messages to archaeologists requesting cooperation.' He mentioned that individuals contact him and, referring to Darius the Great of the Achaemenid Empire, claim, 'I have found Darius's cargo, come and evaluate my cargo.' Mehrafarin further stated that illegal excavators have accelerated in recent years, and Iran's historical sites are facing widespread destruction. Meanwhile, Ezzatollah Zarghami, Iran's Minister of Cultural Heritage, Tourism, and Handicrafts, promised last year in response to the news of the arrest of a gang that media called the 'largest' gang trafficking historical artifacts from Iran that the situation would be addressed. According to Article 561 of the Islamic Republic's Penal Code, trafficking historical property includes imprisonment from one to three years and a fine equal to twice the value of the trafficked property. It seems that the minimal punishment of the Islamic Republic for trafficking historical artifacts has left thieves and traffickers unrestrained, and every day news of illegal excavations, trafficking of historical artifacts across land and sea borders, and looting of the country's historical works is heard.