Construction was stopped in Golestan Palace

The Minister of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts, emphasizing the unique place of Golestan Palace and the historical fabric of Tehran in the national identity, announced:

All the rules of the field and privacy of historical monuments are mandatory and the ministry follows up the process of protecting this valuable heritage with a transparent, scientific and law-based approach.

“Syedreza Salehi Amiri”, the Minister of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts, at noon today, Friday 23 November 1404, on the sidelines of visiting the Golestan Palace and its surrounding construction and in the presence of the ministry’s managers, emphasized the necessity of full adherence to the regulations governing the arena and the privacy of historical monuments.

These works belong to the people and the people themselves and the responsible institutions will not allow the history of this land to be damaged.

Salehi-Amiri, referring to the reason for the field visit to Odlajan area, said:

In recent days, the media space about subsidence and unauthorized constructions had been mentioned, and it was necessary to examine the issue closely. In this visit, the managers of the ministry were also present and we entered into a discussion and investigation at the same place. Therefore, it was immediately coordinated with the municipality to issue a stop order and to follow this action by the judiciary.

Salehi Amiri announced the formation of a special committee to investigate the issue and said:

This specialized committee is chaired by Dr. Darabi, Deputy Director of Cultural Heritage, and with the presence of Dr. Toloi, Director General of Tehran Province, Dr. Kordoni, Director General of the Ministerial Area, Dr. Baitullahi and Dr. Talebian, members of the Strategic Council of the Ministry, and other relevant managers will make decisions in this regard.

Emphasizing the necessity of going through all the legal procedures, he added:

All cases must be followed up according to the upstream documents and through decision-making councils. The general managers should also have meetings with the mayors so that the rules and management issues are coordinated and implemented. It is natural that the mayors of the regions and cities of Tehran province are concerned about preserving the valuable history of this land.

Referring to the threats to the country’s historical identity, the Minister of Cultural Heritage stated:

The Ministry of Cultural Heritage will not allow profiteers to achieve their goals. We will stand with public opinion against profiteers. I also request Tehran Municipality to be more sensitive to violations in the field of historical buildings and structures. However, the municipality has always been with us.

Emphasizing the main mission of the ministry, he explained:

In the heritage decision-making system, our duty is to preserve and restore historical monuments. The established laws must be followed with full consistency and we have no right to interfere outside the framework in the field and privacy of historical monuments. All historical buildings must be maintained, preserved, restored and protected based on the rules compiled.

In the end, Salehi Amiri reminded the necessity of wider introduction of the history and tourism capacities of Tehran and said:

This capacity should be introduced more in the national media. Many people of Tehran and even Iranians do not know this historical area. This area can be a domestic and international tourism destination and we should introduce it to the world in the best way.

The Minister of Cultural Heritage added:

The historical context of Tehran is a valuable capital for this metropolis. 145 hectares of Oudlajan texture, including 5100 plaques and 60 registered historical monuments, along with Tehran’s historical arch with an area of ​​36 hectares and a series of landmark buildings such as Golestan Palace, Tehran Bazaar, Pamnar, Imamzadeh Yahya, Khayyam, Naser Khosro, Topkhaneh Square, Mashakh Square and Baharestan, form the central core of Tehran’s identity. This historical axis is one of the real capacities to attract tourists in Tehran and it should be carefully and sensitively taken care of so that construction chaos and urban violations do not form in it.

In the following, “Dr. Baitullahi”, a member of the academic faculty of the Road, Housing and Urban Development Research Center and advisor to the head of the Environmental Organization on subsidence issues, also announced:

Initial surveys and observations show that subsidence has not occurred in this area, but more detailed surveys and studies will be conducted.