The historical texture of the city of Shiraz has been in danger of destruction and ruin since the 1970s, and from time to time, parts of it are demolished under the pretext of Shahcheragh development or the Binalharamein project. In light of this, a recent campaign has gained widespread attention for the preservation of Shiraz’s historical texture. During its operation, this campaign has been able to attract the attention of many media outlets, officials, prominent figures, and the public, and according to its secretary, has been successful in preventing some recent demolitions.

In this issue of the monthly magazine “Khat-e-Solh”, we have gone to meet the secretary of the Save Shiraz Historic Fabric campaign, which started in December 2021, to learn more about its goals and achievements in preventing the destruction and devastation of this fabric. Mohammad Mehdi Kalantari, a PhD researcher in building conservation and historic fabrics at the University of Science and Industry and the secretary of this campaign, tells Khat-e-Solh: “Mr. Zarghami does not believe in historic fabric and that it should be preserved… But Mr. Zarghami only sees himself responsible for the five national registered buildings and does not value the historic fabric and the thirty buildings that are all Qajar.” Kalantari also emphasizes the forcible acquisition of houses from their owners, saying: “There are two issues that need to be addressed and criticized here. One is a historical issue (which as an expert in building conservation and restoration, I have to

The explanation of this conversation will follow.

You are the director of the Shiraz Historical Preservation Initiative. When did this initiative start and what are its goals?

In October 2021, during a provincial trip by the government delegation to Fars province, a 57-hectare project was once again approved as an unfinished project or remaining on the ground, through delegation of authority in the province. Afterwards, various protests, such as a critical letter from 180 university professors to the President and a letter from 50 university professors to Mr. Zarqami as the Minister of Cultural Heritage, took place. Later, Dr. Gholamhossein Memarian (a faculty member of the Faculty of Architecture at Iran University of Science and Technology) had a meeting with Mr. Zarqami and wrote a letter to him. I published that letter in the Hamshahri newspaper. After that, in the Union of Scientific Associations, Architecture, Conservation and Urban Planning Students of Iran – of which I was the secretary of the Cultural Heritage Committee – we prepared a letter to the President. From the beginning of January 2022, at the same time

In the past approximately fifteen months, we had many activities; from various correspondences and campaigns that gathered 46,000 signatures, to various media activities, both through interviews and written pieces in national newspapers and news agencies.

Our goal is to prevent the destruction of the historical fabric of Shiraz. We do not want to see any new destruction for the development project of Shahcheragh in Shiraz, as nearly 20 hectares of the historical fabric of Shiraz has been destroyed since 1995 under the same excuse and title. Eight hectares were destroyed in the project between the two holy shrines. None of it was added to the shrine and this destroyed area was replaced with a multi-story shopping center, parking lot, commercial complex, offices for parliament members, hotel, and city council. Later, in 2010 during the presidency of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, a 57-hectare project was approved, and by the end of 2017, 10 hectares were destroyed as part of this project. However, in 2014, the Supreme Council of Urban Planning under President Rouhani canceled the project, and a new 57-hectare project was approved and announced, but for two to three

The danger here is that this issue was approved in the 5th province commission on 15 Ordibehesht 1401 and, since it was delegated to the province, the provincial department of roads and urban planning immediately took possession of the buildings. We know that more than thirty buildings have been taken over so far. The approved plan was a good one and did not allow for any new demolitions, only development in the two areas that had previously been demolished. Even the connection between Shahcheragh and Aladdin has only been seen in the area that currently exists. Unfortunately, the consultant plan is being considered in the 5th province commission and, under pressure from somewhere, a line is added to the consultant plan called the proposed line of the Cultural Heritage Research Institute and the decision of the special 57-hectare plan committee; meaning a line is added to the consultant plan. In this line, 100 buildings have been identified for demolition, of which 35 are nationally

Which individuals and groups has this movement been able to bring along so far?

This issue has become widespread among different university professors, society, and ordinary people in Shiraz and the whole country. It’s not just the expert community that has been affected. Among the artists, Mr. Reza Kianian and Ms. Tanaz Tabatabaei have posted about this issue on their social media accounts. For the campaign that I wrote about this issue, 46,000 signatures were collected and people themselves participated. There were also three other campaigns. Regarding 200 historical plaques or preservation of the texture and another case, the total of these four campaigns has more than 100,000 signatures. This is a demand of the people, not just a demand of an expert community and university professors. It started with university professors, but now I can say that it has turned into a social demand that has also been embraced by the people. In addition, various statements and letters have been issued by unions, scientific associations, and the expert community.

It is said that on Tuesday, February 6, 2022, eyewitnesses have reported the arrival of excavators and bulldozers to Shiraz with the intention of destroying and clearing the historical fabric of the city. The residents of buildings located in the path have been verbally warned to evacuate (for example, Fararu has published this news). Do you confirm this start of work? What information do you have in this regard?

I did this news. The destruction in this news is related to another project – namely the project of connecting the Imamzadeh Ibrahim shrine to Shahcheragh. This destruction in this news is not for the project of between the holy shrines and the 57-hectare plan. It is for another project that the Shiraz municipality is currently working on. They have given warnings to 33 building plots, which the people have informed us about and we have published in various media outlets. They also said that the house was demolished and they were only there to remove the rubble. But there was a house next to it that had its windows and entrance boarded up. On the same day that we reported on February 6, 2022, the loader and bulldozer were removed from the historical fabric. If that news had not been done, the Qajar house – which we published images of in the media with its boarded up windows – would have been demolished as well. In other

You mentioned the destruction of two nationally registered houses. Is it legally possible for registered houses to be demolished? In fact, is there a legal solution to prevent this from happening?

Between the years 1390 and 1396, ten national registered houses were destroyed. The two cases I mentioned were the last two that were brought to the Supreme National Security Council. Their actions are punishable by imprisonment and heavy fines according to the law. Unfortunately, in the case that was brought to the Supreme National Security Council, no one was convicted and it was not determined which organization was responsible. The municipality says they were not involved, the road and urban planning department says they were not involved, and even the department responsible for the shrine says they were not involved. In fact, everyone is passing the blame onto each other. It was only said that whoever was responsible for this must rebuild these houses exactly as they were. It was more of a show than anything else. Even though ten national registered buildings, such as “Pol-e Novab”, “Shahram Bahrami’s House”, “Roghieh Rasouli’s House”, “Soleimani’s House”,

You said that the ten houses that were registered nationally were destroyed by the Shahcheragh institution. Are you referring to the caretaker of the shrine?

The previous caretaker was Mr. Dastghib. Now the caretaker has changed. After the destruction, the caretaker was replaced by the leadership authority and was no longer under the control of the Dastghib family. Dr. Ebrahim Kalantari from Tehran was chosen as the caretaker of Shah Cheragh. This means that the previous team was essentially sidelined. However, there are people who were involved in the previous caretaker and are currently involved in the board of trustees and this caretaker. This means that the caretaker has changed, but there are people who have been involved in both caretakers and are now following this situation.

In any case, the responsibility for this incident lies with the governor. We may say that the deputy of urban development, executive or other person has carried out the work, but the responsibility for these damages lies with the governor with the cooperation of the Department of Roads and Urban Development and the municipality. The governor alone cannot handle this task, as the machinery, tools and manpower must come from these two organizations. But the usual practice is this; an incident happens with the cooperation of several organizations and then they blame each other, saying that it was not us, it was them.

Some officials, such as the head of the Cultural Heritage and Tourism Research Institute, have announced in interviews with the media that they have not proposed a plan to destroy the historical fabric of Shiraz. No registered monument is intended to be destroyed, and the extent of destruction mentioned in this regard is not accurate. The issue is simply about renovation and organization between the two holy shrines (from Shah Cheragh to Aladdin). The governor of Fars has also called the rumors about the destruction of historical houses a lie and admitted that “this organization does not mean destruction.” On the other hand, the Minister of Cultural Heritage has said that “we do not have money for the restoration of these houses.” What is your opinion on this matter? To what extent can we trust this “renovation” or “organization” that some officials have mentioned?

It is a pure lie that they say we did not give permission. Because the Cultural Heritage Research Institute has given permission and it was approved in Ordibehesht 1401 and the possessions have started. If they do not intend to destroy, why have they taken possession? Also, Mr. Mahmoudreza Taleban, the director of roads and urban planning of Fars province, clearly stated in a meeting held on February 26 of this year in the historical context (I was also present there) that this path will be destroyed. Of course, he said that registered national buildings and those with value will not be destroyed. I said that there are 100 buildings, 35 of which are registered nationally. They have said that those 35 buildings will not be destroyed. This should also be seen in practice. They may make claims. They have made many claims before. But it will be proven in practice whether these 35 buildings will be destroyed or not. In practice, they

As you mentioned, the Shahcheragh development plan is not a new plan. However, it had been practically set aside in previous governments. How has it now resurfaced and we are witnessing these movements?

Mr. Zarqami, the Minister of Cultural Heritage, said during his provincial trip that this dilapidated structure between the two shrines is causing a national flood and this project, which has been left on the ground for years, must be implemented. This is exactly what Mr. Zarqami said. It means that Mr. Zarqami does not believe in the historical structure and the fact that it should be preserved. Therefore, during the same provincial trip, he approved the plan for this structure. Later, after all our activities and interviews to make the Cultural Heritage aware of the value of this place, Mr. Zarqami finally said in an interview with Shargh newspaper that we have five national registered buildings in total, which will not be destroyed. This means that Mr. Zarqami only considers himself responsible for these five registered buildings and does not value the historical structure and thirty other buildings that are all Qajar era. My point is that according to its charter, the

Mr. Zarqami does not take a position on valuable buildings, which means that in his opinion, it does not matter if these buildings are destroyed. He does not care about the issue of preserving historical fabric. He does not know, he is not aware that historical fabric is not just houses and single buildings; it is also the connection of these houses with alleys, markets, mosques, schools, hosseiniehs, bathhouses, etc. We call this connection, which has been created here with the collection of buildings, historical fabric, not just a few registered buildings. His view on cultural heritage and historical fabric is to preserve the registered buildings and then demolish the surrounding area. Our problem now is also the Ministry of Cultural Heritage, because they do not know and are not aware. They assign their research institute to come up with a proposal. Masib Amiri, the head of the Research Institute of Cultural Heritage, was previously the director in Fars province for eight years and

We have not forgotten that previously, in the 57-hectare plan, it was not predicted that registered and valuable properties would be destroyed. But when they started, they demolished the entire structure and took possession of and destroyed everything they could; three and a half hectares east of Shahcheragh, three hectares for Noh-e-Di Street, and three and a half hectares around Khan School for the Nikan commercial project were completely destroyed. Now, neither the people have changed, nor their mentality or approach. Therefore, if they start destroying, they will have no mercy; not even for the registered and valuable properties.

The only remaining historical fabric near the shrines of the Ahl al-Bayt in Iran is the historical fabric surrounding the Shah Cheraq shrine, as almost all of the historical fabrics around the shrines in Mashhad and Qom have been destroyed. How hopeful are you that this fabric will ultimately remain intact?

Of course, it cannot be said frankly that all of these historical structures have been destroyed. Ten percent of the historical structure in Mashhad is still intact. Parts of the structure have also been preserved in Qom and Rey. However, it is true that among the cities of Mashhad, Qom, Rey, and Shiraz, the historical structure in Shiraz has been better preserved than the rest of these cities. This means that although we say twenty hectares have been destroyed, the main structure is still preserved in the 360-hectare area. Our efforts have caused a setback. When the 57-hectare project started, one of the plans was to create an eight-hectare courtyard (four times the size of a football field) between Astaneh and Shah Cheragh. When the project started again in 2021, the discussion was about how much they have fallen behind today. This setback may be due to this campaign and the letters of university professors and other activities

Another point to consider is that even if the historical aspect of these plaques did not exist, they would still be taken from the people. This means that they are being bought from the people at a price that is essentially theft. Many are not satisfied with selling at a price of eight million tomans per square meter, because with that amount, they cannot afford to buy a new home and are forced to rent. They don’t even give them the full amount at once. They give one-third in cash and the rest in two-year bonds. As a result, the money given to the current owners is not enough for them to buy a new property. My point is that since the people are dissatisfied, you are creating a development project that is based on theft and is legally flawed.

Everywhere I spoke, I mentioned that there are two issues that need to be addressed here. One is a historical issue (which as an expert in the preservation and restoration of historical buildings and structures, I must fight for). The other issue, however, is a social and human issue that relates to the destruction of places that are not historical, but are homes where people live. They have put their feet on the necks of the people, forcing them to give up their homes for a small amount of money. So we have two aspects to criticize in this matter. One is our own professional discussion and the other is the legal, social, and human aspect of the issue.

Mr. Kalantari! What is the motivation for developing the shrine? Because it seems that not all of the current space around the Shah Cheragh shrine is filled, so there is no place for pilgrims. Some people talk about end-time motivations, some talk about other religious motivations, and some believe that the motivations are economic. It may be true that it is not possible to fully understand the motivations. But based on experience and knowledge, what do you know about the motivation for this project and the destruction?

In the previous eight hectares that were destroyed in the name of the shrine, commercialization has taken place. But now they openly say that we do not want to build a commercial complex and hotel. We only want to open the path between the two shrines so that the pilgrimage route can be reopened and not be narrow. This is while the path they claim is narrow and is not responsive to the needs; meaning that the population between the two shrines does not have enough traffic to justify widening this path.

The last days discussion that you mentioned is being discussed among themselves and has also reached our ears. The question of what we should do if the Imam of the Time appears and Shiraz is not a religious city. One of their solutions is for the shrines of Shahcheragh and other shrines in Shiraz to have a good size, so that the city’s religiousness is reflected in its history. This is what the gentlemen say. Dr. Ali Abadi (a member of the faculty of art and architecture at Shiraz University) was one of his advisors at the shrine (advisor of the architecture of Shahcheragh shrine) four years ago in the Imam Reza shrine in Mashhad – when all the shrine developers were gathered – he raised this issue. He said, who said that we should only know Shiraz by the names of Hafez and Saadi? Shiraz has more than a thousand revered Imamzadehs and this city should become the largest pilgrimage city in the

They say that the position of leadership came to Shiraz in 1387 and said that this is the third shrine of the Ahlul Bayt and we want to make it the third according to their orders. This is while I have said in various places that with the developments that have taken place, Shiraz is currently ranked third. What they want to create in Shiraz seems to be the first shrine of the Ahlul Bayt in Iran; their intention is to connect all the shrines in Shiraz; something that I have called “between two shrines”.

Thank you for the time you have given us in the Khatt-e-Solh magazine.