www.tehrantimes.com With the construction of the Pol-Rud Dam near the city of Rudsar in Gilan Province, 16 historic sites will be submerged, Bijan Zahab, the deputy director of the Gilan Cultural Heritage and Tourism Department said. It seems that the country’s abundance of cultural heritage sites has become nothing but a hassle for officials of Iran’s Energy Ministry!
“The Energy Ministry asked Gilan cultural heritage officials to study the region and give their opinions about possible ancient sites in the region,” said Zahab.
“An investigation team comprised of Energy Ministry experts and archaeologists was sent to study the region. In fact, a number of monuments and ruins dating from the second millennium B.C. to the Islamic era were found in the region,” he added.
“If the dam is built, 16 historic sites all over the region which contain important parts of our history will be flooded,” said Yusef Fallahian, one of the archaeologists of the investigation team.
“Iron Age cemeteries, ancient ruins, and several Islamic architectural structures are located in the region. The Energy Ministry is determined to construct the dam. I think firm action is needed to save the historic sites from danger,” he added.
The construction of dams has caused serious damage to several of Iran’s ancient sites. The Karun 3 Dam, in Khuzestan Province, which is to come on stream by the end of November, will devour an ancient site from the Elamite era. The dam is located about 28 kilometers east of the city of Izeh on the Karun River.
This is not the end of the story. Construction of the Sivand Dam has begun in the region of Teng-e Bolaghi, four kilometers from Pasargadae, the ancient capital of the Achaemenids. The dam is scheduled to be completed by March 21, 2005 and afterwards a part of the ancient city will be buried under tons of mud from the Polvar River. Pasargadae was registered on UNESCO’s World Heritage List last July.
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