The Right to Cultural Heritage: Protecting Historical Sites in Shiraz / Abolfazl Alizadeh
At first, it is necessary to have a general overview of concepts such as: what is history, what are historical monuments, the importance of preservation and how to protect them, and the responsibilities of the Ministry of Cultural Heritage. In addition, if time permits, crimes against cultural heritage should also be mentioned.
The word history refers to events and occurrences that have happened in the past and the study and examination of them. When talking about history, you can also mention geological history, biological history, and so on, but the main issue that comes to mind when thinking about history is human history and the history of human civilization since its recognition.
In fact, history shows us a series of cultural, natural, social, economic, and political events that have occurred in a specific time and place in human societies. Therefore, history is divided into various categories: cultural history, social history, political history, etc. Some believe that history is simply a record of events, but there are different interpretations on this matter; some believe that history is a type of science.
Michael Stanford, a prominent history professor, also distinguishes these two concepts and warns that “the subject of history” is different from “knowing about it.” He refers to historical knowledge as “historical memory” and explains its various forms. He writes: “First, it must be clear that history is not one thing, but several things. History is both the thing that happens, the subject of history, and the image we create of it in our minds, the knowledge of history. History is first and foremost what we want to believe is a collection of events or concrete situations, with identifiable and recognizable entities that have taken place in a specific time and place. The second history is the preservation, remembrance, reconstruction, and reinterpretation of these events, and ultimately their impact on our current approach to events and situations. With forgiveness, all of these can be called the realm of memory.” (1)
The goal of history is to inform the current generation about events that have occurred in the past. This fact often leads many to believe that history is not useful. However, it is interesting to know that those who study history and are knowledgeable about it understand the reasons for the extinction of a generation, the downfall of a civilization, the collapse of a dynasty, and the disappearance of a pure and beautiful culture. They can use these reasons to prevent similar negative events from happening again. As we say, “experience is the best teacher,” by mastering history, we can understand how our ancestors dealt with problems and issues in society and what the outcome was. History encompasses all aspects of human life; economic, religious, artistic, legal, military, practical, and more.
Historical buildings
A historical building, site, or official heritage site is a place where fragments or pieces of political, military, cultural, and social history are preserved due to their cultural heritage value. Historical sites are usually protected by law and legal institutions, and many of them are officially recognized as national historical sites. A historical building can be a structure, landscape, site, or a building that holds local, regional, or national significance.
Historical heritage sites and other heritage buildings are often preserved in a way that is ready for public visitation. Visitors may experience a nostalgic feeling (a mixture of sadness, regret, and pride) for the past, in pursuit of learning about a part of their cultural heritage, or in common interest in learning more about the historical fabric of these types of sites when visiting them.
Here, it is necessary to mention the importance and necessity of the issue. The importance refers to the significance of the issue; that the subject in question has unique capabilities that can help solve the problem or improve the desired situation, and the necessity refers to the urgency and major impact of the issue; that if it is not addressed, a group, profession, or society will suffer or be deprived of a benefit. For these reasons, preserving cultural heritage is of particular importance.
In general, cultural heritage encompasses history, cultural background, art, and science, historical artifacts, customs and traditions of nations, and so on; to the extent that it must be recognized as a human right among the instances of cultural rights and protected accordingly. In fact, it is the right of the people of every country to properly support their cultural heritage passed down from their ancestors. This is why the necessity of protecting these artifacts has been crystallized as a national and global concern in the legal system of every country. In this regard, the legal system of Iran, especially the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran, has recognized the importance and necessity of protecting cultural heritage in Article 83 of the Constitution, which states that “government buildings and properties that are national treasures cannot be transferred or sold without the approval of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, unless they are not unique treasures.” Although this article does not explicitly mention cultural heritage, it can be considered as one of the cultural rights of the people against
The Islamic Penal Code also addresses crimes against cultural heritage from Article 558 to 569.
Protecting cultural and natural heritage is crucial for balancing human life and achieving sustainable and organized development – which will lead to the evolution of human civilization – and it requires a public, global, governmental, and grassroots mobilization. People must perceive and accept natural and cultural environments as a spiritual bond in their local communities, and understand that just as the destruction and devastation of the natural environment endangers human life, the destruction of cultural and historical heritage also jeopardizes spiritual life. Today, the importance of environmental conservation, which includes natural and cultural heritage, is evident in all countries.
57-hectare plan
The 57-hectare project, known as the Shahcheragh Shrine Development Project, was initiated about seven years ago due to the lack of submission of supplementary documents and the absence of approved reference maps, as well as non-compliance with Clause 6 of the resolution of the Supreme Council dated December 27, 2010, regarding the development project of Shahcheragh Shrine, and also in violation of the regulations of the Cultural Heritage Organization, but in 2021, this project was once again put on the agenda by the government of Ebrahim Raisi.
Contrary to the claims of officials, more than 57 hectares will be destroyed in this project, and conflicting claims are also heard about selling graves for amounts of 200 or 300 million in the courtyards and porticos.
Based on this plan, in the late 1980s, the destruction of the eastern side of Shahcheragh began completely (meaning from the alleyways to the buildings were completely demolished from the ground up) and as a result, the section that is now known as the four-walled shrine was owned by the people until ten years ago. These demolitions continued from 2011 to 2017, with the last one being the destruction of “Salimi House” and “Montaseri House” in Shiraz; two buildings that were also nationally registered. Earlier, in 1995-1997, eight hectares of historical fabric were suddenly merged under the name of “Moghaddas between the two shrines” but nothing was added to the shrine and the space was turned into a passage, hotel, city council and parliament office. In fact, this destruction was done in the name of the shrine, but for years there was no plan for it and it was abandoned.
According to the claims of supporters of this plan, the purpose of this plan is not to convert the 57-hectare area into a courtyard, cemetery or commercial development. The aim of this plan is to promote pilgrimage culture and cultural and scientific activities, and it has even been claimed that the development referred to as “haram development” has no connection to the historical fabric and will take place within the boundaries of the Astan properties.
Based on the contradictory statements that are evident, we must not forget that there are individuals who are seeking material gain behind this plan, and have used religious concerns as a mask to deceive the public. This has caused concern among cultural heritage activists and those who care about the preservation of the historical houses and structures in Shiraz.
The reality is that these buildings are our ancestors’ legacy and our national and homeland identity. We are indebted to the history of Iran and we must also be good custodians for future generations, so that they can embrace the historical structures, culture, and traditions of our ancestors and help keep our land vibrant. In essence, our duty is to preserve and maintain these precious artifacts.
At the end, it must be mentioned that in the name of development, we should not destroy ancient monuments and historical identity, and only focus on materialistic profit by building roads and shopping centers. Instead, we should strive to preserve historical monuments, protect and maintain the heritage of our ancestors, and safeguard the identity and ancient culture of Iran.
While development does not necessarily mean growth in size. Where in the world do they destroy and commercialize historical homes – even in an authentic historical context – and replace them with shopping malls and roads, and then claim that development has taken place? Where in the world do they destroy the identity of a city and its historical monuments and instead impose an unknown plan on the people? Is the whole world foolish and the thinking of the Taliban, ISIS, and Mongols correct? Not only is this against humanity and human values, but it is also against ethics and the very religion they claim to follow, and they act in the name of the Ahlul Bayt and for the benefit of others. Even a Buddhist idol worshipper knows that historical artifacts and identity should be preserved and revived, not destroyed.
Notes:
1- Stanford, Michael, An Introduction to the Philosophy of History, translated by Ahmad Gol Mohammad, Tehran: Nashr-e Ni, first edition, p. 421.
2- Statistics and information related to the 57-hectare project have been obtained from Fars News Agency.
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