Return of Bulldozers to 'Joubaji' One Month After Meeting of Government Officials; Local Activists: Risk of Cultural Catastrophe

Less than a month after a senior official from the Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Tourism of the Islamic Republic visited Khuzestan and inspected some ancient sites, criticisms regarding the 'renewed excavation' and the creation of a trench in the heart of the historical region of 'Joubaji' have intensified. The ILNA news agency emphasized that one month after the visit of Mostafa Deh-Pahlavan, head of the Cultural Heritage Research Institute, the question has arisen as to who gave the 'green light' for the return of 'bulldozers and excavators' from the Khuzestan Water and Power Organization to Joubaji. Reports indicate that during the visit of the head of the Cultural Heritage Research Institute to the Joubaji area, accompanied by the director general of Khuzestan's cultural heritage and the representative of Ramhormoz in the Islamic Consultative Assembly, a meeting was held at the governor's office where the 'plan for the water pipeline to pass through the Joubaji area' was discussed. Joubaji is a site and village in the central part of Ramhormoz County in Khuzestan Province, southwest Iran, where work was halted on May 8, 2007, during excavation for a water pipeline after several ancient artifacts were discovered. Despite the damage inflicted on this archaeological site, a royal tomb from the Neo-Elamite period (6th century BC) was discovered after the arrival of archaeologists, indicating the high importance of the Ramhormoz region in Elamite history. However, last week, some cultural heritage activists in Khuzestan sent images to ILNA, reporting the 're-destruction' of the Joubaji archaeological site by machinery from the Khuzestan Water and Power Organization, stating that the Khuzestan Water and Power Organization, the provincial water company, and the Behbahan Cement Company are prime examples of interference and destruction of archaeological sites. Mojtaba Ghahestooni, a cultural heritage activist, also stated that on the morning of February 9, the activities of the excavators from the Khuzestan Water and Power Organization began to create a siphon for a 'water channel.' He also mentioned that the concerning issue is that although the channel is '200 meters' long, only one hundred meters of this ancient route has been excavated, and 'we should expect another cultural catastrophe from now on.' Over the past decades, cultural heritage activists and enthusiasts in Iran have consistently warned about the negligence or destructive actions of certain government agencies and institutions of the Islamic Republic regarding historical and archaeological sites, especially those predating Islam, expressing their concerns.