Tehran, 3 December 2006 (CHN Foreign Desk) -- The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has initiated a workshop with the cooperation of the Iranian Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization (ICHTO) on Conservation and Management of Earthen Cultural Heritage which started yesterday, 2 December, at the world heritage site of Tchogha Zanbil (also written Chogha Zanbil) in the southwestern Iranian province of Khuzestan.

 

Organized under the “Tchogha Zanbil 2006” Programme, the three-week training course is attended by 70 Iranian university students as well as Tchogha Zanbil and Haft Tepe staff members, directors of other cultural properties and 8 high-level UNESCO conservation directors. 

 

The workshop was inaugurated yesterday with the presence of officials from UNESCO Cluster Office in Iran, high ranking authorities of the Iranian Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization and its provincial department in Khuzestan, as well as officials of the city of Susa.

 

Speaking during the opening ceremony, Mohammad-Hassan Talebian, director of Tchogha Zanbil Project, extended his appreciation to UNESCO, ICHTO, and the Japanese Government for their financial and moral support of the program and said: “This training course lasts for three weeks during which more than 20 experts and directors of the Iranian cultural heritage institutes, 15 conservation experts, and a number of students from the Iranian universities such as Elm-o Sanat (Science and Technology), Shahid Beheshti, Pardis of Isfahan, as well as Azad universities will make use of the experiences of Iranian and foreign experts.”

 

He also expressed hope that this workshop could create a more productive interaction between academic centers of the country and Tchogha Zanbil Research Center and help extend the knowledge of conservation of earthen structures.

 

At the end, Talebian presented a report on the latest achievements by his young team at Tchogha Zanbil Research Center and said that their successful program can be taken as a case model for other similar institutes in the country.

 

Appreciating the Government of Japan for its total contribution of one million US dollars to Tchogha Zanbil project ever since it was registered in UNESCO’s list of World Heritage Sites in 1979, Dr. Abdin Salih, representative and director of the UNESCO Tehran Cluster Office, said that helping to preserve world cultural heritage is one of the honors of UNESCO. “As stated in UNESCO charter, one of the main responsibilities of this Organization is preservation and revitalization of world heritage and therefore UNESCO is determined to make use of all the possible resources in realization of this goal,” said Dr. Salih.

 

He further expressed his admiration for the high level of collaboration between the Iranian and Japanese governments together and with UNESCO, for conservation of Tchogha Zanbil’s earthen monument and said: “UNESCO initiated conservation projects in different countries in 1960 and has ever since been able to achieve its goals through an international network of cooperation. For instance, in the framework of this new cultural policy of cooperation, in 1989 the Japanese Government deposited with UNESCO a fund specifically for the purpose of conservation of tangible cultural heritage called ‘The Japanese Trust Fund for the Preservation of the World Cultural Heritage.’ Since then, more than 43 million US dollars have been allocated to different countries from this fund for the sole purpose of conservation of their cultural heritage.”

 

The historic site of Tchogha Zanbil is home to the only surviving ziggurat in Iran which is also one of the most important remaining evidence of the Elamite Kingdom (3400 BC-550 BC). Ziggurat is a temple tower in the form of a terraced pyramid with successively receding stories.

 

In 1998, in order to prevent Tchogha Zanbil’s ziggurat from further damages and in the framework of an agreement between ICHTO, UNESCO and Japan Trust Fund and cooperation of International Center for Earth Construction (CRATerre), Plan of Conservation and Restoration of Tchogha Zanbil in several disciplines was initiated. In recent years and parallel to various researches, effective conservation and restoration have also been achieved.

 

 

- Reconstitution of fallen parts of the ziggurat and filling of the existent holes

- Conservation of adobe masses with thatch covering with appropriate slopping

- Cleaning of the historical drainage system, designing and execution of emergency drains to evacuate rain waters

 

At the end, director of the UNESCO Tehran Cluster Office extended his Organization’s gratitude to the Iranian government for its efforts in preservation of the Persian cultural heritage and close collaboration with UNESCO. “It is an honor for UNESCO to have a long-lasting cooperation with the Iranian authorities and experts who are fully aware of the importance of cultural heritage,” said Dr. Abdin Salih in his speech.

 

The training workshop which started its work yesterday in Tchogha Zanbil will focus on methods necessary for conservation and management of earthen cultural heritage.

 

The objectives of the course’s first two weeks includes:

 

-         Increasing the capacity of Iranian site managers and conservators working for the World Heritage property of Tchogha Zanbil;

-         Increasing the capacity of Iranian site managers and conservators working for other Iranian World Heritage properties or Tentative List properties;

-         Encouraging increased capacity building and strong support for integrated and comprehensive conservation and management planning.

 

During the third week, a draft comprehensive management plan for the Tchogha Zanbil World Heritage property will be drawn up.

 

This activity is being undertaken within the framework of the UNESCO Japan Funds-in-Trust for World Cultural Heritage – Conservation of Chogha Zanbil Phase Two (2003-2007) programme. 

 

 

Maryam Tabeshian

foreigndesk@chn.ir