Ancient artifacts and cultural and artistic heritage of each land are the identity and foundation of that land and its people, and are among the valuable treasures and unique legacies of every nation in various fields. It is necessary to preserve and protect them. The remnants of past civilizations in Iran, such as the Medes, Achaemenids, and others, are messengers of very important topics such as noble human thoughts and valuable elites like Zoroaster, Cyrus, Mani, and Mazdak, and many Iranian philosophers in different historical periods. If their thoughts and ideas were not attacked and destroyed by foreigners and not deviated, perhaps today, under the shadow of their philosophy, sciences, and ideals, those great civilizations would have flourished throughout the vast land of Iran, and no spring would have dried up and no tree would have withered, and the country and its people would have been among the most prosperous nations in the world. But human actions and thoughts were forcibly taken away and

Preservation and conservation of the material and spiritual wealth of Iranians throughout the centuries has unfortunately never been taken seriously, neither by the rulers nor by the people. As a result, the destruction of these valuable artifacts has followed. Neglecting these cultural and historical treasures has continued for thousands of years, both by the ruling dynasties and kings, and by the people’s indifference towards them, leading to their destruction without anyone trying to stop it. As a result of this ignorance, Iranians have lost thousands of their heritage to looting by foreigners and have been taken out of the country forever, due to the injustice and incompetence of their rulers.

The lack of knowledge among Iranians about their history and ancient artifacts has been to the extent that for thousands of years, no one knew the true nature and value of valuable stone carvings such as “Bisotun” – which is located on a high rock in the heart of Bisotun mountain in Kermanshah and belongs to the Achaemenid era. It wasn’t until 1338 solar year (63 years ago) that for the first time, several large inscriptions and unique stone carvings in our country, including the Bisotun stone, caught the attention of an English officer named Rawlinson. He was able to decipher the hidden secrets of the stone after centuries of being unknown and isolated by reading the cuneiform inscriptions on it. Some locals interpreted the carving of 9 men on the stone as 9 beggars and had little knowledge about its true nature and value.

Destruction of ancient artifacts in Iran

In pursuit of the ignorance of Iranians about the value and antiquity of their historical artifacts and their lack of understanding of the value of these precious works, the despotic rulers and traitorous Qajar dynasty have taken action to inscribe their own images alongside ancient images on the stone carvings of “Taq-e Bostan” – also known as the “Taq-e Khosrow Parviz” and “Shabdiz Shirin” – causing irreparable damage to these unique historical artifacts, which belong to the Sassanid era and are located in Kermanshah.

Sheikh Ali Khan Zanganeh, the prime minister of the Safavid dynasty in Kermanshah, had ordered for his land deeds to be engraved in the heart of the Bisotun rock when he intended to write them. Unfortunately, the lack of awareness and selfishness of an absolute ruler and the usual indifference towards the country’s ancient heritage led to this engraving being done on one of the rarest stone reliefs from the Parthian period. This engraving completely destroys the central image of the three existing images and also destroys half of the images of Godarz on the left and Mehrdad Ashkanian on the right in a vertical manner. In this deed – which is still available – Sheikh Ali Khan Zanganeh dedicates his lands in Dinavar and Chamchamal as a waqf for the shrine of Sayyid al-Shuhada and for the repair and maintenance of his personal caravanserai in Bisotun.

Unfortunately, the destruction does not end with these. Shameful and long-term contracts of the Safavid and Qajar kings in the transfer of Iran’s ancient heritage, cultural and artistic artifacts to the French, and the astonishing contract of Naser al-Din Shah Qajar with the French and the transfer of the right to excavate throughout Iran and taking the artifacts found by the French government – which was signed in 1274 and for 60 years and only for 10,000 tomans – reveals the depth of the tragedy of the destruction of Iran’s cultural heritage by the Qajar dynasty. According to a contract made by Muzaffar al-Din Shah after Naser al-Din Shah with the French, the French are allowed to excavate throughout Iran and transfer the objects and antiquities found to France, and no one has the right to object or prevent the heritage from leaving the country. It is said that Jacques de Morgan, a Frenchman, alone transferred five thousand valuable

Nowadays, thousands of pieces of ancient artifacts from Iran, some dating back to years before Christ, can be seen in museums such as the Louvre in Paris and museums in England and other countries. Among these artifacts are famous inscriptions such as the Cyrus Cylinder, which is known as the first declaration of human rights, and hundreds of other pieces including swords and gold vessels that have been taken out of Iran.

Discovering the amazing “Kalmakareh Cave” in Lorestan Province.

In the year 1368, a large and unique treasure trove of various objects and antiques, skillfully placed in a large cave, was accidentally discovered by a local hunter, causing astonishment among the world. This treasure, which was found in Poldokhtar County in Lorestan Province, dates back to the first millennium BC and contained thousands of valuable items made of gold and other materials such as silver and sculptures. The bodies of four guards of the treasure, who had died on the spot, were also discovered at the same time.

Unfortunately, all the objects and antiques discovered in this cave – which is said to have been the storage place for the royal treasures of the Samatora dynasty in Iran – were looted in an ambiguous manner and before they could be studied, the discovered objects were taken out of the country and less than 5% of those objects – and even those were the least valuable objects found in the cave – were placed in the Iran Museum.

Death has once again come for the ancient heritage of Iran after centuries.

After years of destruction, devastation, and looting of ancient artifacts and historical buildings in Iran, the trend of this destruction intensified with the emergence of the Islamic Republic. From Persepolis in Shiraz to Bisotun in Kermanshah, and even in Bam, Jiroft, and every corner of Iran, mafia groups, who were protected by the law, began to excavate and steal discovered objects.

Destruction and looting of ancient and historical artifacts on one hand, and neglecting the preservation and maintenance of historical buildings to the extent that Zahra Ghazghami, the Minister of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts, refers to the state of historical buildings as “ruins”.

On the other hand, recent sales of many of these buildings by the government, which has also given it a legal form, will inflict the final blows on the wounded body of Iran’s ancient heritage and historical monuments in recent years. In 1402, the government ordered the sale of at least 19 historical buildings in the country to compensate for part of the country’s budget.

As nearly half a century has passed since the establishment of the Islamic Republic in Iran, death has once again mercilessly targeted the ancient heritage and cultural artifacts of Iran, threatening their existence. Unfortunately, the narrow-minded views of religious leaders and the leaders of the Islamic Republic towards ancient heritage and cultural and artistic works of the country have caused these valuable and wounded works to face destruction and annihilation. Throughout this half century, their complete disregard has caused horrific damage to these remnants. The strange and religious beliefs of the leaders of the regime may be the first time that such a sharp and destructive sword has been used against these works.

During these years, both open and hidden mafias have been active in the field of excavation and looting of these artifacts, as if they have all the authority and, according to others, no one is watching over them. If we say that these power and looting mafias have caused damage to these artifacts equivalent to several centuries in just half a century, we are not exaggerating. During these years, alongside these excavations and lootings, no one has thought about saving these invaluable treasures, and governments allocate the least budget to their preservation, maintenance, or restoration. As the saying goes, they always give the green light to stealing these properties and in all circumstances.

Despite all the tragedies that have befallen the material and spiritual assets of this land in the present era, we must also search for the great tragedy in the past centuries of Iran. What is seen in the perspective of the causes and factors of these devastations and indifference, is the wound of the invasion of foreigners and its destructive effects on this body that cannot be ignored; invasions that have been accompanied by mass murder, arson, and extensive destruction, and have occasionally burdened this society heavily.

Perhaps if it weren’t for the strong and steadfast structure of a society that had a rich and humanistic culture and was endowed with great material and spiritual wealth, all this onslaught would not have left any trace and our society would not have been lost forever and buried in history, like other lands and great civilizations that in such invasions lost everything and forgot their essence forever. But this land and its society, according to its ancient authenticity and history, although it may have fallen from its horse, it has never fallen from its origin; even though it has suffered severe wounds and its body and soul are sick.

Our land is a land that has been burned many times and each time, like a phoenix, has risen from its ashes. A land that was the birthplace of the Mithraic and Mithraism tradition, has been filled with the anger and hatred of invaders, and has lost its color and turned yellow, but has never lost its inherent essence. This land, shrouded in mystery for more than 14 centuries, has been plagued by a restless people seeking their own independent identity, and has been caught in tragedy after tragedy, falling from one pit to another, but has never abandoned its pursuit of justice and righteousness.