Seminars
The Conference of Parsa-Pasargadae World Heritage Site’s Achievements
The conference of Parsa-Pasargadae world heritage site’s achievements was held in December 10, 2011 at 9 a.m. in the conference hall of Shiraz research institute of cultural heritage organization with the cooperation of cultural heritage, handicrafts and tourism organization.
Secretary of this conference said “the conference is based on the subjects related to archeology, restoration and conservation, analytical engineering, architecture, visit management and climatology and geology”.
The conference secretary, Mohammad-hasan Talebiyan, declared that “the stone conservation and restoration is at high rank in Persepolis and Parsa, and this is the result of good and proper management of that area”. He also said that “for the positive activities which has been done at Parsa-Pasargadae area and as its management is good, we almost do not pay anything for international cooperation”. Dr. Talebiyan said that “it’s important for us to see that the activities related to Persepolis become worldwide and we can assert that appropriate activities have been done in the field of monitoring”
Introducing “Sassanian History”, a Book By Prof. Shapur Shahbazi
A ceremony had been held at Fars library and archives center to introduce a book “Sassanian History” written by Prof. Shapur Shahbazi on his death anniversary, in which numbers of professors and researchers of art, archeology and history field were presented. Prof. Shapur Shahbazi was born in April 16, 2006 and deceased when he was 63 and buried at Hafez Tomb. God bless him.
The ceremony began by reading Qur’an verses and Iran National Anthem, then the head of Fars library and archives gave the plan of the ceremony and the agent of the director general of Cultural Heritage, handicrafts and Tourism Organization had read a message from him (the general director). A short film of Prof. Shapur Shahbazi had been played there too, and then the book was introduced for the first time. At the rest professors of Ferdowsi and Shiraz University and archeology research institute gave speech at the ceremony. It’s worth to say that the ceremony had been held by the help of Parsa-Pasargadae world heritage site and Fars library and archives center.
World heritage sitesPress conference
The first World heritage sites Press conference took into consideration the activities of Parsa-Pasargadae World Heritage site.
Public relation department of Parsa-Pasargadae Site reports that the conference was held in November 20, 2012. The community of Cultural Heritage Graduates, UNESCO inscription office, higher education center for cultural heritage, deputy of cultural heritage and the experts of Parsa-Pasargadae world Heritage site and those who love cultural heritages helped and attended the conference which was held at the higher education center for cultural heritage.
The head of higher education center for cultural heritage, Haji pour, talked about the aims of the center and said that such meetings can be helpful to develop the potentiality of this center in a way that attract even foreign students. The head of Parsa-Pasargadae world heritage site and the director of UNESCO inscription office in Iran, Mohammad Hasan Talebiyan said that Parsa-Pasargadae world heritage site is the second official sites of Iran that was established in 2001 and various studies related to archeology and geology has been done there and he gave a report of what have been done by the world heritage site.
The Study of Takht-E Rostam (Takht-E Gohar) and the Tombs Mysteries on Persepolis Fortifications Tablets (Texts)
A seminar titled “Takht-e Rostam and the tombs mysteries” had been held on Thursday, October 9, 2014. Wouter Henkelman, who is a researcher and a member of research group at University of Chicago, declared at the seminar that interpretative approach toward the inscribed clay tablets of Persepolis can clear the ambiguities of historical events specially those related to the early Achaemenian dynasty. Prof. Henkelman also said that in recognition of the archeological evidences, reading out the inscribed tablets is very important, he added that the stone structure named ‘Takht-e Gohar’(Takht-e Rostam) which is in the middle of the Persepolis-Naqsh-e Rostam road had been considered the unfinished tomb of Cambyses (Cyrus son) according to its remain and similarities with Cyrus tomb at Pasargadae, but after reading out the inscribed clay tablets a new hypothesis has come into view that this place may be the grave of the Hystaspes, Darius father.
Henkelman believes that the gathered information from Persepolis tablets can strengthen or weaken the interpretation of the archeological discoveries about the Achaemenian. He also pointed to what Sami (a researcher) told about Artaxerxes 2nd tomb which is close to what is mentioned in the tablets (texts).
He pointed to Borazjan district and said that from archeological point of view the remains of Achaemenian palaces at Temukan (or Borazjan) present the importance of that district and show that Achaemenian kings were interested in having maritime economical relation with far districts as Egypt, India, Arabian peninsula and southern coast of the Persian Gulf. But according to what the tablets (texts) says Temukan was a main harbor in Achaemenian period and the texts emphasize the importance of that district in official, political and economic system, texts also give information about the amount of people who were sent there not only to work on palaces but also to work on agricultural and structural affairs.
He showed several documents of Elamite texts and inscribed clays and emphasized that the best documents are those from which one can provide an accurate interpretation of the management, organization, customs, rituals, religion, the royal road and its stations, food ration for workers and passengers, religious places, the guardians, society, local financial affairs and economical relation of Achaemenian.
The head of Persepolis world heritage site said that Persepolis site has efficient correlation with other scientific centers which are related to Persepolis and said that this meeting has been held by the help of Cultural Heritage Organization, Persepolis World Heritage Site, Shiraz University Of Art to make researchers and students familiar to the recent discoveries of Achaemenian history from what the Persepolis fortifications’ texts say.
Training and Practical Workshop: Biological Erosion on Pasargadae Stone Surfaces
Public relations department of Parsa-Pasargadae site and the head of Pasargadae historical site declared that this training and practical workshop aimed at investigating biological erosion on stone surfaces and introducing the subject to the researchers and utilizing the related ideas and experiences of Iranian and foreign researchers. The head of Pasargadae historical site, Mohammad Nasiri said that “twenty researchers and the experts of Parsa-Pasargadae world heritage site have been trained in the field of biological erosions on stone surfaces and they all received certification at the end”. According to what he said, biological erosion, the factors that can affect organism growth, the changes that has been made by these biological factors on stones and structures and the simplest methods to conflict these biological erosions had been investigated during the workshop.
The manager of the Research Institute of Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization, Dr. Mohammadi, the director of Research Center for Conservation and Restoration, Dr. Sohrabi, Trainer of the workshop, Dr. Sergio F from Italy, university of Turin, Prof. Pierluigi Nemis (one of the founders of harmful lichens studies) from Italy as an advisor and the head of Parsa-Pasargadae world heritage site, Dr. Talebiyan were presented at the workshop.
The Codes of Ethics for Museums and Cultural Heritages
A seminar had been held near the international day for monuments and sites at Persepolis world heritage site which discussed the codes of ethics for museums and cultural heritages.
Public relations department of Parsa-Pasargadae research foundation reports: the faculty member of Tehran Art University, Dr. Samanian announced that an academic association for museums and monuments conservation and restoration has been established recently and added “we hope that non-governmental organizations and academic groups’ co-operations can be efficient in the field of conservation and restoration and their relation can be effective nationally and internationally”. He also said that it is important to consider the ideas of those who visited cultural heritage sites and it’s useful to take the visitor’s report into consideration, a report of a place that he/she visited. He said that it’s the time to consider the visitors and to solve the problems in this field. Dr. Samanian said “we believe that restoring the fragments and pieces which are kept at the museums not only save the pieces but also it saves them as documents for the posterities”.
The executer of ICOM ethics committee, Professor Martin R. Schaerer, had explained the responsibilities of ICOM in the seminar and added that this committee is a non-governmental one, that takes museums, their affairs and offices into consideration, its ethic committee codifies especial rules and laws to be obeyed by all the heads and authorities of museums in order to act more scientifically and professionally. He also pointed that the codes of ethics for museums has been translated and the translated texts will be uploaded on the ICOM internet site. In another part of the seminar the processes through which the Persepolis museum was established from the first excavation in 1310 by Ernest Herzfeld, were explained by Persepolis executive director, Masoud Rezaei Monfared.
