TEHRAN — Given that the inscription of the Zandier complex in Shiraz on the UNESCO World Heritage List is on the agenda of the Fars Cultural Heritage Department, one of its biggest problems is the Aseman Hotel, which has caused a visual distortion of the horizon of the Zandier complex, and perhaps the most important part of it is the Karim Khan Citadel.
The Zandi Complex is a monument to the founder of the Zand dynasty, Mohammad Karim Khan Zand (r. 1751-1779), and is consistently one of the most visited historical sites in Fars province, IRNA wrote.
Shiraz is the best-known tourist city in Iran among tourists, as it is the cultural and literary capital of ancient Iran and the center of a province with 13 World Heritage Sites, but none of the city’s historical monuments are individually inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List, and only the Elam Gardens are included on this list as part of the Persian Gardens Dossier.
Today, the Zandier Complex gives Shiraz an opportunity to shine even brighter than before and make its presence known to the global tourism industry.
The Zandier complex includes the Karim Khan Fort, the Vakil Mosque, the bazaar, and of course the Divankane House and Nagare Khane Square, all of which were built alternately by Karim Khan Zande more than 220 years ago.
This historical complex, located around Shiraz’s Zandiyeh Passage, is consistently among the top five most visited places by Iranian tourists during peak summer and Nowruz travel periods.
During his visit to Shiraz in November 2024, Reza Salehi Amiri, Minister of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts, promised to develop the Zandier complex and place it on the global register. He said the Karim Khan Citadel in Shiraz is under development and moving towards global registration.
Sadeq Zareh, director of the Fars Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts Department, also said that the global inscription of the Zandier complex is one of the department’s main priorities, adding that the city of Shiraz is also determined to bring the case to a close.
He said all heritage sites eligible for world registration must complete documentation and invite a UNESCO jury to examine its terms.
He said that the custodian of the World Register file for the Zandier complex has now been identified and notified by the Ministry of Culture and Heritage and is in the process of securing funding and signing contracts, which he said is an important step in the progress of the file.
Mr. Zare continued that after this stage, a checklist related to the world registration of the complex will need to be prepared and presented, as well as a basic cartographic survey, documentation and records regarding the repairs carried out and their prohibitions will also need to be completed.
After these stages are completed, evaluators will be invited and any issues will be announced and resolved at that stage, he said.
He said that the city has agreed to support the realization of this case, and continued that a meeting will be held soon with the participation of the National Monument Registration Officer, the project manager, Fars cultural heritage officials and the Mayor of Shiraz to reach an agreement in this regard.
One of the obstacles that has been repeatedly considered by lovers of the cultural heritage of Fars as an obstacle to the world inscription of the Zandier complex is the Aseman Hotel on Rudaki Street (behind the Karim Khan Fort), which is said to have destroyed the view of this historic fort due to its height. The Aseman Hotel is an 18-storey high-rise building near the Karim Khan Fort, which boasts views of the fort from three sides to this historic complex.
Construction of the first skeleton of the hotel began in 2001 and was six storeys high, but it has been increased in height in two stages and now stands at 18 storeys, visible above the citadel.
In spring 2015, Iran’s Supreme Council for Urban Planning and Architecture issued a permit to demolish the hotel’s top four floors, which had increased in height without legal permission. However, this order was never carried out.
KD