200 Houses Demolished in Shiraz’s Historic District for ‘Shah Cheragh Shrine Expansion’

The “Shah Cheragh Shrine Expansion Plan” has once again come into focus with the arrival of Ibrahim Raisi’s government. According to this plan, a large portion of Shiraz’s historic district, which contains 200 historic houses, will be demolished to allow the Shah Cheragh Shrine to expand.

The “Shah Cheragh Shrine Expansion Plan,” which had been shelved under the previous government, has resurfaced with the arrival of Ibrahim Raisi’s administration. According to this plan, a significant portion of Shiraz’s historic district, containing 200 historic houses, will be demolished to expand the Shah Cheragh Shrine.

During Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s administration, the “Shah Cheragh Shrine Expansion Plan,” known as the “57-hectare plan,” was approved by the Supreme Council of Urban Planning and Architecture and quickly moved into the implementation phase.

After four years, the plan was cancelled due to its incompatibility with the “Comprehensive Shiraz City Plan,” and the matter even resulted in a complaint. The twelfth government requested that the judiciary intervene in the matter.

Mehdi Hajati, a former member of Shiraz’s city council, wrote on Twitter about this: “The authorities of Shah Cheragh have not only forcibly demolished houses and the historic district, but have also pocketed billions in property acquisition budgets through forged documents.”

In 2018, “Ali Asghar Munsan,” the then-head of the Organization of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts, responded to the FARS News Agency about the outcome of this complaint, saying: “We took legal action and a court ruling was issued on this matter, and I hope that with the implementation of the court order, which has also become final, no one will allow themselves to demolish. Unfortunately, the executor there prevented officials from entering. I also ask the prosecutor general of the country to intervene in this matter.”

The implementation of this plan is so concerning that several letters have been written to the president.

Last December, the “Union of Scientific Student Associations of Architecture, Restoration and Urban Planning of Iran” expressed its concerns about organized destruction in Shiraz’s historic districts in a letter to Ibrahim Raisi.

Following the publication of this news, Shiraz citizens launched a campaign to stop the plan and in a letter to Ezzatollah Zarghami, the Minister of Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism, requested that he halt the project.