Shiraz Metro Passes Under Hafezieh; Cultural Heritage Becomes 'Project Observer'

The Deputy of Transportation for Shiraz Municipality announced that Line 2 of the Shiraz Metro has passed under Hafezieh, one of the city's most important historical symbols. This action was implemented despite previous objections and city officials' resolutions declaring this route 'illegal.' According to the government news agency ILNA, it was reported that the Shiraz Metro passed under Hafezieh without any subsidence or damage, while in a meeting of the Technical Committee of the Cultural Heritage Organization, Fatemeh Davari, the Director General of Preservation and Restoration of Historical Buildings and Secretary of the Technical Council of Cultural Heritage, announced the technical review of this project. She emphasized that the Shiraz Municipality is committed to adhering to the measures planned to prevent damage to historical sites. Meanwhile, Hadi Shahdoust Shirazi, the Deputy of Transportation for Shiraz Municipality, stated that the metro has passed through the Hafezieh area and claimed that 'no subsidence or damage has occurred to the surroundings of this historical area.' Defending the project, he stated: 'The metro has passed without any subsidence or negative impact, and necessary measures have been taken.' According to a resolution from the previous Shiraz City Council, the metro's passage under Hafezieh was deemed 'illegal,' and passenger transfers should have been conducted via tram. However, tunnel excavation began without informing the Ministry of Cultural Heritage, and the project's halt was announced after media reports. Nevertheless, in the meeting of the Cultural Heritage Technical Committee, the Shiraz Municipality committed to following technical measures to prevent damage to historical sites, while the Ministry of Cultural Heritage only plays a supervisory role in this project. Amin Tabatabai, a cultural heritage activist, criticized the transformation of the Cultural Heritage Research Institute's supervisory role into that of a contractor for the project, stating: 'The initiation of the project without permission and ignoring warnings indicates weak oversight and prioritizing urban development over the protection of cultural heritage.' Previously, regarding the controversies surrounding the development of the Shiraz Metro line, a member of the Shiraz City Council had reported that 'the issue of metro excavation near the Hafezieh tomb has been resolved,' while on the other hand, the Director General of Preservation and Restoration of Historical Buildings stated that 'the project will remain halted until necessary studies and sufficient inquiries are conducted.' Additionally, Mohammad Hassan Asadi, the Mayor of Shiraz, stated that 'we have promised to extend the metro to Saadi's Cottage by July of next year, which is one of the underprivileged areas of Shiraz.' Earlier, following the news that the metro tunnel excavation had reached 500 meters from Hafezieh and the claim by the Cultural Heritage Organization that this project had been halted, on October 14, a news agency quoted cultural heritage activists as saying that one of the twin metro tunnels had passed under Hafezieh and the second tunnel was under excavation. The ISNA news agency also reported on November 7 that although nearly a month prior, the Cultural Heritage Organization had announced that the execution of Line 2 of the Shiraz Metro near Hafezieh had been halted, some cultural heritage enthusiasts claimed that this work had not been stopped. The continuation of 'illegal' excavations under the historical fabric of Shiraz, the conflict over the destruction of 'the historical fabric of Shiraz,' and the construction of a cemetery for 'profitability' have raised alarms among experts about the disastrous consequences of building the 'Tang Sarakh Dam' in Shiraz.