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Iran assures Persepolis, Pasargadae UNESCO sites remain safe amid rumors
Iran’s Minister of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts, Reza Salehi-Amiri, proclaimed on Sunday that the status of the UNESCO-listed sites Persepolis and Pasargadae remains “fully stable” and dismissed recent rumors of any danger to them.
Addressing a joint meeting with Abdolkarim Hosseinzadeh, Iran's Vice President for Rural Development and Deprived Areas in Tehran, Salehi-Amiri said there has been “no official report, correspondence or warning” from UNESCO or any international body regarding threats to the ancient monuments, IRNA reported.
He added, “If even the slightest threat existed, the ministry would pursue it and issue public notice.” He noted that, having visited the province of Fars himself, he found “no new incidents” at Persepolis and Pasargadae and described the situation as “completely stable”.
He added that he has held multiple field and headquarters meetings — most recently in Tehran yesterday — with the provincial heritage director.
According to his account, no construction or “threatening activity” has taken place inside the protected zones of either site. Moreover, “when no correspondence or warning exists, it is clear that these claims have no basis and reflect misunderstanding of the field reality.”
Salehi-Amiri closed by urging that “if there is any real documented threat, the reports should be officially forwarded to the ministry so that legal review and action may follow,” reiterating that “to date, no such document has been received.”
At the same meeting, Farhad Azizi Zalani, Director-General of the Global Heritage Sites Department of the ministry, also weighed in. He denied rumors that Iran’s world-heritage properties might be removed from UNESCO’s list.
He said, “Listing or de-listing of sites is a complex, expert process at international level. If change were triggered by the slightest construction or threat, then many other countries would long ago have lost listings.”
He added that instead of “alarm-raising”, local authorities, institutions and the public should act together to protect these “heritage places not just for Iran but for the world.”
Zalani also reported that monitoring of sites such as Persepolis, Dome of Soltaniyeh (Gonbad-e Soltaniyeh) and Fin Garden is underway and any unauthorized activity in their buffer zones will be “pursued with rigor”.
He said, “We will under no circumstances allow the values of these global heritage places to be compromised.” He described how a management-and-protection blueprint for all Iran’s world heritage sites is currently being updated, and once finalized, projects such as visitor-access reconfiguration and infrastructure improvements will be carried out.
Finally, he cited a construction breach near the site of Gonbad-e Soltaniyeh which was promptly halted and is now under legal follow-up, as demonstration of the ministry’s commitment.