Threats and destruction of 305 ancient sites for the plan of the Leader of the Islamic Republic
During a trip to Khuzestan in 1998, Ayatollah Khamenei ordered the restoration of 550,000 hectares of agricultural land in Khuzestan Province. The implementation of this plan has threatened 305 ancient sites in Khuzestan, and some of these sites have also been destroyed during this time.
West Susa: The Jihad Nasr company also destroyed and leveled several ancient sites in Beit Ajam, Susa.
The "Jihad Nasr" Institute, which introduces itself as a "non-governmental organization" with a "jihadi spirit," but whose history dates back to the "Jihad of Construction" during the war, has undertaken the implementation of a plan to restore 550,000 hectares of agricultural land in Khuzestan Province. The Khuzestan Governorate, the Ministry of Energy, the Agricultural Jihad, and the Ministry of Economy and Finance are among the government organizations and institutions that are cooperating with the Jihad Nasr Institute to fulfill the order of the leadership of the Islamic Republic.
The implementation of the Leadership Plan was approved in 1998, began in 2008, and accelerated in 2010 under the administration of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. The budget for the plan from the National Development Fund was initially $1.5 billion, but this amount has gradually increased. Last year alone, another $300 million was allocated to the Leadership Plan.
Methodical destruction of Khuzestan's cultural heritage
Initially, there were reports that farmers in Khuzestan had flattened some ancient hills, such as the Choghamish Hill. But now it has become clear that the destruction of ancient sites in Khuzestan province is systematic and is related to the leadership’s plan to restore 550,000 hectares of agricultural land. The areas where this plan is being implemented are full of ancient sites, and at the same time, “Jihad Nasr” has refused to take inquiries from the Cultural Heritage Organization. The consequence for Iran’s cultural heritage is that the scope of destruction is expanding even further.
Examples of destruction:
Since 2013, dozens of ancient sites between Ahvaz and the city of Mullasani have been destroyed in the first phase of the leadership plan. Part of a large ancient site in the "Arayez" plain, which covers more than 200 hectares, was destroyed as a result of the implementation of part of the project. In the Abdul Khan region (Alvan), contractor Jihad Nasr needed soil to build a canal and flattened an ancient hill that belonged to the Elamite-Achaemenid period.
In the Jaliyah region and the historical site of Askar Makram, an ancient site was also destroyed by "Jihad Nasr." The company planned to renovate an old canal in Haft Tappeh and within the confines of the tomb of "Tapti Ahar," an Elamite ruler, but the project was halted when cultural heritage experts arrived.
The improvement of canals in the ancient sites of Jundishapur and Choghabnot in Dezful was also halted with the arrival of cultural heritage experts. In addition to these destructions, several ancient sites have also been destroyed and leveled in the villages of Sayyid Thamer, Abu Ghraib, Beit Hammadi, and Beit Ajam in Susa.
Phase Two: Destruction of drinking water resources and cultural heritage
According to Hashem Baldi, the director general of the Khuzestan Provincial Disaster Management Office, rainfall in the province has decreased by 65 percent this year. It is predicted that if the decrease in rainfall continues, Khuzestan province will face a drinking water crisis. To curb the water shortage crisis, the Khuzestan Provincial Disaster Management Office has ordered that water not be withdrawn from the headwaters of the province's rivers except for drinking water.
Hassan Alakeband, the executive deputy of "Jihad Nasr", in his press conference on Monday, November 1, asked the Ministry of Energy to provide the institution with the water needed for 550,000 hectares to implement the second phase of the leadership plan. At the same time, cultural heritage activists fear that with the implementation of the second phase of this plan, ancient sites covering an area of 3,000 hectares in Khorramshahr and Abadan, as well as in the "Dahmala" region, will be exposed to destruction. The ancient site of Ramhormoz is also on the path to implementing the second phase of this plan.
