CAIS
The Circle of Ancient Iranian Studies
[ Home ]
[ About CAIS ]
[ Articles ]
[ Daily News ]
[ News Archive ]
[ Announcements ]
[ CAIS Seminars ]
[ Image Library ]
[ Copyright ]
[ Disclaimer ]
[ Submission ]
[ Search ]
[ Contact Us ]
[ Links ]
|
.CAIS NEWS© ARCHAEOLOGICAL & CULTURAL NEWS OF THE IRANIAN WORLD |
|
Elamite Bas-reliefs of Izeh in Real Jeopardy
|
|
07 December 2006 |
LONDON,
(CAIS) -- Experts of Ayapir (ayāpīr) Cultural Heritage Research Centre
have requested urgent budget support to finance restoration of bas-reliefs and
inscriptions of the historic sites of Eshkaft-e Salman and Kul-Farah, currently
in a critical condition.
The
two sites are located in the city of Izeh in the Iranian southwestern province
of Khuzestan and feature many historic evidence mostly belonging to the Elamite
civilization (3400-550 BCE).
Eshkaft-e
Salman (eškāft-e salmān - Salman’s Cave), otherwise known as Tarisha (tarišā)
Temple, is home to the largest neo-Elamite inscription ever found in Iran. The
inscription was spoiled recently by unidentified persons who poured paint on its
bas-reliefs.
Following
this incident, the Association of Cultural Heritage Supporters of Izeh asked the
Iranian cultural heritage authorities to increase the number of their security
guards in the area. Moreover, experts of the Cultural Heritage and Tourism
Department of Izeh asked for budget to hire specialists to remove the paint from
this ancient inscription. However, the budget has not yet been provided despite
frequent warnings by cultural heritage experts.
This
is while according to Mehdi Faraji, director of the archaeology departments of
Ayapir Research Centre, the conditions of other bas-reliefs of Izeh’s historic
sites are no better than the inscription of Eshkaft-e Salman, although he admits
that the assault on the Elamite inscription is a disaster. He also said that
salvation of the region’s historic bas-reliefs requires a “firm national
will.”
An
equivalent of 53,000 Euro had previously been allocated to the research projects
of Ayapir Cultural Heritage Centre, but never released. Faraji emphasized that
as soon as the due payment is received, the Centre will take up the
responsibility of restoring Eshkaft-e Salman’s bas-reliefs.
According
to Faraji, Several official requests have so far been made through formal
correspondence to Iran’s Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization (ICHTO)
and its provincial department in Khuzestan by Ja’far Mehrkian, director of
Ayapir Research Center, warning about the dire consequences of the ignorance
toward the region’s bas-reliefs.
On
the other hand, in a letter to director of Khuzestan’s Cultural Heritage and
Tourism Department, director of ICHTO’s Department of Conservation and
Renovation of Historic Sites, Jalil Golshan, has blamed lack of funding for
insecurity in the historic sites of Izeh and requested the Department to
immediately provide the necessary budget for restorations to begin.
“Despite
all the correspondences made, no budget has yet been provided to protect and
restore Izeh’s ancient bas-reliefs,” added Faraji.
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 archaeological sites and monuments.
The
historic site of Eshkaft-e Salman 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.
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.
Ayapir
Cultural Heritage Centre 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.
|
Extracted From/Source: Cultural Heritage News Agency (CHN) Please
note
the above-news is NOT a "copy & paste" version from
the mentioned-source. The news/article above has been modified with
the following interventions by CAIS: Spelling corrections;
-Rectification and correction of the historical facts and data; -
Providing additional historical information within the text; -Removing any
unnecessary, irrelevant & repetitive information. All these measures have been taken in order to ensure that the published news provided by CAIS is coherent, transparent, accurate and suitable for academics and cultural enthusiasts who visit the CAIS website.
|
|
|
|
"History is the Light on the Path to Future" |
|
Encyclopaedia Iranica
The British Institute of Persian Studies "Persepolis Reconstructed"
The British Museum
The Royal Asiatic Society
|
