Monuments on National Heritage List destroyed in Iran

The destruction of one of the biggest historical sites in the Chahar-Mahal Bakhtiari province by the Islamic Republic Ministry of Road and Transportation was reported by the Persian service of ISNA on Monday, October 22.

"Overnight %60 of the architectural and archeological remains of Pol-Borideh in Chahar-Mahal Bakhtiari province is being destroyed to construct a road. The ancient site was registered on the National Heritage List", said Aliasghar Noruzi, an archeologist with provincial CHTO.

He stated: "The Ministry of Road and Transportation acted irresponsibly, and ignored all the previous warnings of the Chahar-Mahal Bakhtiari Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organisation, prior to launching the new Khuzestan Highway project."

According to Noruzi, the ancient site was a settlement next to an ancient route known as Arjan-Lordegan-Esphahan, which was in use during a number of historical periods. In addition there were a number of architectural remains dated back to 1000 BCE as well as pre-history which have already been identified in the area.

Photographs accompany the above article.