Behind the scenes of the market smuggling of monuments; 5 % of the goods are fake

Quoted by ISNA; Commander Hassan Mehri, commander of the Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts, said that illegal transactions in the smuggling market of historical objects are being monitored in real and virtual space.

More than 5 % of items in these markets are counterfeit and fraud. There are about 6,000 national records in the country, including monuments, ancient sites, cultural objects and heritage care centers. These works are covered by the Conservation Unit through 2 protection bases and 2 reservoirs of cultural and historical items.

Referring to the large volume of national monuments and a lack of protection, he says:

Currently, there are less than 5 protective troops across the country, with most of them more than 5 years of service. Despite the high experience of forces, the lack of human resources is one of the most important challenges of the protection unit, and if the number of forces increases, it is possible to implement point and field protection at a wider level. About 5 cultural heritage lovers are cooperating with the units in the form of heritage. These include members of the city councils, Basijis, Friday Imams and staff of various agencies who work with us in the field of information and reporting.

The commander of the Ministry of Cultural Heritage Conservation Unit, stating that one of our main tools is to monitor the performance of the provincial units, explained:

Periodic visits identify and resolve the weaknesses. The shortage of equipment, manpower or weakness in video surveillance systems is one of the existing problems that have greatly reduced with careful planning and law enforcement.

Mehri also considered the role of law enforcement to be very effective in protecting cultural heritage and said:

About 5 % of the unit’s mission burden is on the shoulders of the forces, and without their support, many of the conservation measures would not be possible. The cooperation of the provincial police, prevention police and other departments has increased the efficiency and effectiveness of conservation missions. System 2 is operating around the clock and people can submit reports of unauthorized drilling, damage to monuments or suspicious activities through this system. The system has been able to greatly offset the gap from the lack of power and local information.

The commander of the Ministry of Cultural Heritage Conservation Unit further referred to the issue of unauthorized excavations:

Unfortunately, unauthorized drilling is a reality in the country, and some profitable people do this with financial motivation. Most of these activities are done by small and local groups. Illegal transactions are observed both in the real and cyberspace. The largest volume of these activities is in Tehran, but the protection unit, in cooperation with the police and regulatory agencies, monitors the virtual and real spaces and treats offenders.

Mehri says that more than 5 % of the items are offered in these markets, and many of these sales are a fraud, says Mehri says:

The main purpose was to assess the conservation status of the province’s monuments and to investigate the problems of the protection unit. Pearl Palace is one of the effects of the Alborz index, which, despite the lack of power, is well done with the efforts and commitment of colleagues.

According to the commander of the Ministry of Cultural Heritage Protection Unit, the construction of a safe reservoir to preserve historical objects in Alborz province has been one of the recent positive measures that have significantly increased the security of cultural property. The installation of monitoring systems and the implementation of training courses for troops is also ongoing programs.

He described the shortage of manpower as the most important challenge of the protection unit and emphasized:

The physical presence of forces is essential to protecting the works and equipment only has a complementary role. However, the combination of public participation, law enforcement and the use of intelligent systems can facilitate the protection of the works. Protecting Iranian history is a national responsibility and its continuation will be possible only with the participation of the people, the cooperation of law enforcement agencies and the commitment of the Protection Unit.