Whilst this is not a matter related directly Egyptology, I do feel that I must include this for the attention of all my readers, and I ask all of you to consider doing what you can. I admit that my knowledge of Persian culture and achievements is not terribly extensive, and can be somewhat coloured by their involvement in Egyptian history, to my shame. However that in no way lessens their own achievements, nor does it means those achievements are any less worthy of respect, and our best efforts to protect them for the future.

The Sivand project has been “on and off” for several years, but now the powers that be have vowed to see through the final phases of the project, and has still not released any convincing details on exactly where the water will stop, or the knock on effects.

Open letter on the Plight of Pasargad

Dear people of the world, and the United Nations Organization,

We, the undersigned, regretfully have to inform all the inhabitants of our planet Earth that once of the greatest parts of the historical heritage of the human race is on the verge of extinction. The Islamic republic of Iran has embarked on the final stages of construction for a dam in the south of Iran that will ultimately drown the archaeological sites of Pasargad and Persepolis, the ancient capital of the Achamenian Empire – a rich and complex site that, since it’s inception, has been considered by all writers of antiquity as one of the wonders of the ancient world and, thus, a part of the cultural heritage of the human race.

Comparing to the destruction of two Buddha statues in Afghanistan by the Taliban, this new threat and it’s consequent loss is beyond any imaginable destruction that may have been inflicted on the history of the world. Although these glorious remainders of Iranian history are a part of this nations historical identity, their loss is not by any means confined to them. That is to say, it is not only the Iranian nation that would be deprived of the most important part of it’s cultural identity; it is world history that is in danger.

Considering only one fact could convey a powerful message to all of us. Amongst the sites that are threatened to be wiped from the face of the Earth lies the tomb of Cyrus the Great, the Achamenian King, who, 2500 years ago, in his unification of political systems, brought freedom to all those nation that lived under his lead through his “Declaration of Human Rights”. In fact, he is considered as the first human being in power to advocate for the right of humans to choose and adhere to their values, cultures, religious creeds and trains of thought. A replica of the cylinder of his declaration is now exhibited in the UN building to symbolize the long efforts of our race (species?) to exit from the savagery of the animal kingdom, and enter into the man-made civilized world. It is the tomb of this father of human rights that is being totally erased amongst many other historical monuments.

We call upon the conciousness of all human being, and caution them about this immanent threat that is shadowing an ancient country, culture and history. We need to see the immediate action of all world organizations, especially the Untied Nations, and it’s cultural institutions such as UNESCO, to step in and stop this inhuman action against the precious heritage of the human race. We need to see immediate action, and use any venues that are opened to us to petition. Accordingly, we are setting up the “International Committee to Save the Archaeological Sites of Pasargad” and invite everybody to join. We have to remember this:

If the civilized world dopes not stop such a horrendous action by the forces of destruction now, we will soon loose everything that the civilized world has created.

You can sign on-line. We sincerely appreciate it if you ask your friends and family to sign, and ask them to pass it on to others.

www.petitiononline.com/Pasargad/petition.html

Please note that the English of the original (printed) article was not terribly clear, so I had slightly edited it, mainly for grammar and word choice. I have in no way altered the tone or overall content of the original text.

As I said, this is not directly related to Egyptology, and whilst that is where my personal passion lies, all achievements of civilization should be respected and preserved as part of the heritage of the world. We have already lost too much to the ever tempting allure of easy and plentiful water by damming anything and everything that flows. Let us not repeat the disastrous losses of the past.