Posted on 09/16/2006 3:05:13 PM PDT by freedom44
With the launching of Chinese style cultural revolution by the president of Iran and following the clashes between professionals and government officials over the protection of Isfahan’s historic sites, news reports indicate that similar quarrels are heating up now in Kermanshah province over its historic sites.
By recalling the events that took place in Isfahan, archeology experts argue that planning the underground metro system in Kermanshah on the regions that are registered as national historic sites is not an accidental event. It is completely planned and derives from the perspective that views all focus on pre-Islamic events in the region to be contrary to Islam and supporting to infidels.
The dispute between advocates of Iran’s cultural and historic heritage and Kermanshah city municipality officials came two days after thinkers, cultural activists and artists from Isfahan gathered to express their concerns about the acceptance of the Sazemane Miras Farhangi (Organization for the Protection of Cultural Heritage) to have the underground metro system pass under the main city thoroughfare, Chahar-bagh Avenue. During the previous administration, the Cultural Heritage organization had objected to a similar plan in Isfahan and allowing the metro to pass under the Chahar-bagh. Now it is reported that an influential aide to president Ahmadinejad has revived the project.
So residents of Kermanshah are now concerned about the fate of their city and its historic sites, especially as digging for the metro project has already begun thus threatening the 1700-year site in the center of their city. Experts believe that digging close to the Bostan site not only negates the goal of turning the site into an international historic site, but also threatens the building with greater destruction.
The dispute between the two groups lies in an idelologic difference and perspective. This is not limited to sites in Isfahan and Kermanshah. There is an international movement regarding the changes that have been proposed to the Sevand dam in Fars province. This has attracted the attention of international cultural and historic organizations and societies. Thousands of Iranians have requested professional international groups to send inspection and monitoring teams to the Sevand dam project. They argue that any changes to the dam or the water below it would submerge the tomb of Kurosh at Passargad, which is a historic landmark dating back to 2,500 years ago.
The concern of the cultural enthusiasts and experts, contrary to some claims, is not about the conflict between officials and Cultural Heritage staff, but about the historic sites that are threatened. To support their concerns, they refer to the statements made by certain hardline and fundamentalist clerics and their supporters and argue that just as the Taliban destroyed the famous Buddha sites by exploding them in Afghanistan, in Iran too the fundamentalists could destroy the country historic sites.
Not all of the Stans are Persian. Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan are dominated by Turkic speaking people, which are different from Persians. Turkic is Altai-Ural, which includes Korean, Japanese, Finnish, Estonian, Turkish, and Hungarian. A good number of them are Persian/Aryan, like Tajikistan, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. They could be considered Persia or Iran East.
Must be hard for the Persians to be surrounded by Arab nations. I know in the Middle East, Persians are considered enemies, especially by Arabs.
...chirping of crickets...
Yep, that's the sound of the leading intellectual lights of the
modern world rushing forward to protest this erasure of history in
the Islamic world.
Can't blame them. It's touch to argue with folks that would enjoy
sawing your head off with a dull knife.
Interesting. I have heard Turkish before and it sounds like Korean.
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