The Minister of Cultural Heritage: Commercial projects in the vicinity of Golestan Palace will be halted
Following the launch of a campaign to save Golestan Palace and the Oudlajan neighborhood in Tehran, and the media coverage of the cultural heritage permits for the construction of two commercial centers near Golestan Palace, which is listed in UNESCO, and warnings about the potential removal of this site from the World Heritage list, Reza Salehi Amiri, the Minister of Cultural Heritage, Tourism, and Handicrafts, visited the Golestan Palace area on Friday and ordered the halt of construction activities in its vicinity.
He also announced the judiciary’s follow-up and the formation of a special committee to investigate the matter.
Vahid Shahab, a cultural heritage activist and researcher, announced on Wednesday, November 11, the launch of a campaign to save Golestan Palace and the historical Oudlajan neighborhood, and called on the Ministers of Cultural Heritage and Roads and Urban Development to prevent the implementation of these construction projects around Golestan Palace.
The launch of this campaign followed reports on the implementation of the Marvi Center commercial project within the vicinity of the World Heritage Golestan Palace and the historical fabric of Oudlajan, along with warnings about subsidence and the serious threat of Golestan Palace being removed from the UNESCO World Heritage list.
The campaign text calls on the Ministries of Cultural Heritage and Roads and Urban Development to issue an immediate halt to the project and to take decisive action against violators or decision-makers involved in the destruction of the historical fabric of Oudlajan and the vicinity of Golestan Palace.
It is also emphasized that further excavations, which could damage the 700-year-old Mehrgard qanat, should be prevented.
By Saturday, November 14, more than 2,900 people had signed the campaign to save Golestan Palace and the Oudlajan neighborhood.