The Issue of 'A Shrine Growing Near Persepolis'

According to the IRNA news agency, a sign introducing a structure named 'Imamzadeh Ibrahim' has been installed two kilometers from the Persepolis site, and the publication of this sign's image on social media has sparked reactions, with some referring to it as 'a shrine growing near Persepolis.' On the other hand, Mosib Amiri, the director of cultural heritage in Fars province, stated in an interview with ILNA news agency on Wednesday that the installation of this shrine's sign has caused a 'furore' regarding its construction, which was previously only known to local residents. He mentioned that the cultural heritage department of Fars province is negotiating with the Endowments Organization to remove this sign. Meanwhile, IRNA reported, citing cultural heritage experts in Fars, that the first-degree protection zone of Persepolis extends up to four kilometers around it, and no construction should occur within this area. According to this report, construction in the second-degree protection zone of this historical site is also permitted only up to a height of eight meters. After reports about the construction of 'Imamzadeh Ibrahim' near Persepolis were published, the director of cultural heritage in Fars announced that the development plan for this shrine does not 'violate' the historical protection of Persepolis. While some reports indicate that this shrine did not exist in aerial maps from 1955, members of its board of trustees claim that inscriptions related to 1957 are present at this shrine. Mosib Amiri stated that the development plan for 'Imamzadeh Ibrahim' in Marvdasht has been executed 'in accordance with construction regulations' within the protection zone of Persepolis. According to Mr. Amiri, the development plan for this shrine was submitted to the cultural heritage department of Fars province in 2013, and a commitment was obtained from the shrine's custodians that any construction in this area must comply with the regulations of the Persepolis protection zone. He also mentioned that to preserve the protection zone of Persepolis, the shrine must be built without a minaret or dome, and the cultural heritage organization has 'only issued a permit for the construction of a room with an area of 20 square meters (dimensions four by five meters) and a height of four and a half meters.' Meanwhile, Samad Arayesh, a member of the board of trustees of 'Imamzadeh Ibrahim,' claims that this shrine is decades old and includes an inscription donated to it from 1957. Mr. Arayesh's reference to the existence of this shrine in 1957 comes while the Law newspaper, in a report referring to aerial and satellite maps of Persepolis, stated that this structure did not exist two years prior to this date, in 1955. Elyas Rezaei, the deputy of the Endowments Organization in Fars, stated in an interview with the Khabeer Jonoob newspaper in Shiraz that a parking lot, camping area, and green space are planned to be created next to this shrine, and in the future, its area will be expanded to 17 hectares. Meanwhile, Afshin Yazdani, a boundary expert of the global Persepolis and Naqsh-e Rustam complex, said that the goal of the Endowments Organization in Fars for the development of this shrine is to create 'a large pilgrimage site with economic benefits from Persepolis tourists, especially during peak travel times and Nowruz.' According to the Law newspaper, the construction of shrines within the protection zones of Iran's historical sites has precedent. This newspaper stated that a site called 'Imamzadeh Ismail' was built behind the Naqsh-e Rustam mountain, but it was dismantled because 'there was no document or history for it.' The Persepolis complex, dating back to the Achaemenid Empire, is approximately 2,500 years old and is located in Marvdasht, 60 kilometers north of Shiraz, and has global fame. According to officials from Iran's cultural heritage and tourism organization, construction that violates international regulations within the protection zones of historical sites registered with UNESCO endangers these sites' status. The three historical complexes 'Chogha Zanbil,' 'Persepolis,' and 'Naqsh-e Jahan Square' in Isfahan were registered as the first world heritage sites of Iran on May 8, 1979. Recent reports also indicate that the structures of the Persepolis complex are facing moisture damage, salinity, and cracking. In recent years, issues related to construction within the protection zones of UNESCO World Heritage sites or national registered sites have made headlines. Last year, the burial of two unidentified casualties from the Iran-Iraq war, known as 'martyrs,' within the 'second-degree protection zone' of the historical site of Pasargad made headlines despite the opposition of the head of the cultural heritage organization and the head of its research institute. These two bodies were buried on Thursday, March 2, 2017, 'in the park of the unknown martyrs of Pasargad.' In 2014, despite the opposition of the cultural heritage organization and the provincial security council, eight casualties from the Iran-Iraq war were buried in the historical and tourist site of Amir Chakhmaq in Yazd. At that time, the cultural heritage organization issued a statement protesting this event, stating without naming any specific organization or individual that the responsibility for any cultural and historical consequences and the protection of the mentioned structure lies with those who acted 'in violation of related laws and decisions of the provincial legal authorities.' This organization stated that the Amir Chakhmaq historical complex has been registered as a national heritage site for several decades, and any action in it is subject to compliance with the regulations for the preservation of historical and cultural sites in the country.