Jack's gonna get angry.............
Posted on 09/18/2006 10:58:43 AM PDT by blam
Vandals pour paint on Elamite bas-reliefs in southern Iran
Tehran Times Culture Desk
TEHRAN -- Unidentified men have poured paint on the bas-reliefs of the Elamite Tarisha Temple in the Izeh region of Khuzestan Province, the Persian service of CHN reported on Sunday.
In response, the Izeh Cultural Heritage Lovers Society has asked Iranian cultural officials to mobilize security guard teams for the Tarisha Temple, which is also known as Eshkaft-e Salman, and for the nearby Kul-Farah site.
The security detail for Izeh’s ancient sites has no means to defend themselves or the ancient sites, society chairman Faramarz Khoshab told the Persian service of CHN on Sunday.
“Some time ago, smugglers beat the guard of Kul-Farah and now several unidentified men have poured paint on the Eshkaft-e Salman bas-reliefs. If the guards had a wireless set, they could have been able to prevent such an incident,” he added.
The Tarisha Temple is home to the largest neo-Elamite inscription ever found in Iran. The site also has four bas-reliefs, two of which are inside a nearby cave. One of the bas-reliefs depicts a woman beside a man and a priest in a traditional ceremony.
Kul-Farah has large bas-reliefs showing ensembles of vertical and horizontal harps which are as large as Mesopotamian harps. The site also had several other bas-reliefs which were removed in order to be stored in vacuum glass display units, but cultural officials have not agreed with the idea.
“The Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization refuses to provide lighting apparatuses. Seventy yeas ago, a section of one of the Kul-Farah bas-reliefs was stolen. If security is not provided for the bas-reliefs, smugglers with modern tools will loot and destroy the artifacts in the darkness,” Khoshab warned.
The ancient sites of Izeh have the dubious distinction of suffering the most damage and the most illegal excavations and smuggling of all Iran’s historical sites.
In addition, many construction projects are also threatening ancient sites in the region.
At present, construction of a hotel and amphitheater is underway inside the perimeter of the Tarisha Temple grounds. The project resumed in May after a two-year hiatus caused by a lawsuit filed against the developers.
The Karun-3 Dam came on stream last November and many ancient sites and artifacts dating back to the Elamite era, the Stone Age, and the Epipaleolithic period (20,000-10,000 BC) were submerged under mud and water.
FYI.
The media and art world are far more silent over the muslim fanatics' attempts to demolish traces of the past (including the Taliban's destruction of the Buddhist statues) than they were when the opportunity came to blame the Bush administration for "looting" of Iraqi museums.
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Vandals is it? You know what they used to do when they caught schoolkids painting grafitti on the school. Of course this isn't just a brick wall on a school, so they will have to get some pros to get the paint off without damaging the art.
That's what it sounds like to me professor.
Jack's gonna get angry.............
Exactly.
These people are vandals and iconoclasts - not thieves.
Elamite-speakers are mentioned in the New Testament (Acts 2) as one of the groups which heard the apostles preaching in their own language on Pentecost in Jerusalem. Elamite was also one of the three languages on King Darius' inscription at Behistun in which he describes how he became king of the Persian Empire.
vertical and horizontal harps which are as large as Mesopotamian harps...
Criminy - them's big harps!
He had some help from an asteroid impact and a subsequent plague.
This must be the way to secure 72 virgins without killing oneself.:)
How sad.
...and he's one of the most beloved figures of western folklore. ;')
Sunmaid. :')
The ancient sites of Izeh have the dubious distinction of suffering the most damage and the most illegal excavations and smuggling of all Iran's historical sites. In addition, many construction projects, such as constructions of dams and a hotel in the region, are also threatening Izeh's ancient sites. Originally called Ayapir, Izeh is known for its large number of bas-reliefs as the Town of Rocks. It is situated at the middle of the Zagros mountain ranges and has the biggest collection of archeological sites and monuments. The historic site of Eshkaft-e Salman (Salman's Cave) contains four bas-reliefs carved on the mountain, two of which are inside a nearby cave. One of the bas-reliefs depicts a woman beside a man and a priest in a traditional ceremony... Ayapir Cultural Heritage Center is determined to prepare the file of six Elamite bas-reliefs and inscriptions in Kul-Farah, the biggest worship place of ancient Iran during the Elamite period, in the list of UNESCO's World Heritage Sites.
Neo-Elamite inscription of Eshkaft-e Salman in Izeh southwest Iran is the largest one of its kind from the Elamite period ever found in Iran
Bas-relief on Eshkaf-e Salman depicting a woman beside a man and a priest in a traditional ceremony
Biggest Ilamite Inscription in Eshkaf-e Salman, Izeh, Khuzestan province
Gold tablet of Persepolis, Iran, showing cuneiform writing in Old Persian, Elamite, and Babylonian, telling about King Darius I.
thanks!
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