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Tue, Jul 15, 2008

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Mamasani Down
History Lane
Caves in Disrepair

Mamasani Down
History Lane
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Throughout history, Mamasani has hosted different civilizations and nations. Located in the highlands of Fars province, it lies strategically between empires that existed in the region, notably Elam and Persia .
Mamasani was also part of the capital city of the Achaemenid monarch, Cyrus the Great.
Situated 158 km from Shiraz , it is bound by Sepidan in the north, Bushehr and Kohkilouyeh-Boyerahmad in the west, Kazeroun and Bushehr in the south and Shiraz in the east, CHTN reported.
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The name Mamasani goes back to the ancient Mohammad Hassan’s tribe. Since Lori dialect is prevalent in the region, the name has changed to Mamdhassan, Mamasan and Mamasani.
Historians believe that the ancient name of the district was Anzan or Enshan that transformed into Anbouran and Shulestan. Finally, the name changed to Mamasani during the rule of Safavid Dynasty (1501-1736).
Artifacts and manuscripts remaining from 8000 BC to 3000 BC reveal that Iranian civilization originated in Mamasani.
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Abundance of forests and rangelands, rich water resources and soil, fertile plains and diverse climatic conditions led to the establishment of prehistoric civilizations in the district.

Language
The language spoken by most inhabitants of Mamasani is Lori, which goes back to the Sassanid period.
Some of the nomadic tribes of Mahour Milati region speak Turkish. These tribes belong to the Qashqaei tribe.
However, the residents of Arab Khanimeh and Kakhak villages speak Arabic while they can also speak Lori fluently.

Major Finding
At the end of the second season of archeological excavations at Saravan in March, it became evident that a major center of Achaemenid Dynasty (648-330 BC) was situated in the area.
The Iranian head of the Iran-Australia archeological team, Alireza Asgari, said the major accomplishment of the second season of archeological diggings was discovery of an edifice extending over an area of 1,500 square meters and 14 meters in height.
Asgari noted that studies conducted in the vicinity of the edifice show that at least two other buildings existed next to it during the Achaemenid era. One building was situated south of the edifice and the other to its east.

Prehistoric Times
Throughout history, Mamasani was the link between Khuzestan, Kohkilouyeh, Zagros, Bushehr and the Persian Gulf . In fact, the prehistoric cultures and civilizations of the neighboring provinces can be sought in Mamasani through scientific research.
The prehistoric sites remaining in the area date back to 8000 BC to 3000 BC. They are mostly hills, such as Nourabad, which belongs to 4500 BC and has been registered as national heritage.
Other sites include Tall-e Bakhtiyari, which is located 3 km from Nourabad and belongs to 5000 BC, and Dimeh Meel that dates back to 4000 BC and Kouzehgaran.

Historical Era
Some of the historical sites of Mamasani include Goornegoon bas-relief dating back to 2400 BC, Fahlian Silent Tower built in 700 BC, Davood Dokhtar Silent Tower of 650 BC, Achemenid palaces of Saravan Village belonging to 500 BC, Meel-e Ejdeha Fire Temple of 120 BC and Mansourabad Dam of Sassanid era (226-650).
There are sites and edifices belonging to the period marking Islam’s advent in various parts of Mamasani, among which one could cite Khafrak City in Shuseni and the city of Chahar Bazaar.
Historians consider Mamasani as an important center during the Islamic period.

Tourist Attractions
In addition to hosting historical and religious sites, Mamasani has beautiful natural attractions, such as the evergreen valley of Bouvan, which is covered with oak and almond trees, and Haft Berom lakes.
It has temperate weather and is verdant during February, March and early April.
Farmlands enhance the natural beauty of the region. Even nomadic tribes who live in the area add to the colorful landscape of the region.
One of Mamasani’s tourist attractions is the tomb of Imamzadeh Seyyed Alaeddin Mohammad in northeast Nourabad. It is the burial place of one of the sons of Imam Mousa Kazem (AS) and his daughter. The tomb consists of an old and new building.
Another tourist attraction is the Goornegoon bas-relief in Se-Tolen Village , which belongs to the Elamite Era (2700-539 BC). This rocky bas-relief depicts two figures, one ’God’ and one ’Goddess’ sitting among their worshippers. Meel-e Ejdeha or Dimeh Meel is a square-shaped stone tower on the slopes of Shirmard Mount in a region called Dimeh Meel, 10 km west of Nourabad. The tower, which was apparently a fire temple, is 7 meters in height and 3 meters wide.
Furthermore, relics remaining from the Achaemenid era in Saravan Village , 12 km from Nourabad include pillars with lotus decorations and resemble those of Persepolis .

Caves in Disrepair
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Experts attending the monthly meeting of the Society of Mountain Climbers underlined that caves, like most other natural attractions of the country, are on the verge of destruction and proposed meaningful consultations to address the problem.
Speaking in a meeting, an expert on caves, Changiz Sheikli said caves have been neglected in Iran. “It is regrettable that related officials have not taken measures to print a few thousand pages of my notes about caves of Iran,“ he added.
Sheikli, 81, is the founder of the Iranian Society of Cave Experts.
Mostafa Salahi, who has written many articles about the country’s caves, said, “What is more important at the moment is that caves are on the verge of destruction.
This is a direct consequence of the irresponsible attitude of tourists who visit the caves and the negligence of related governmental organizations and major contractors of road construction projects. Katal Khor Cave in Zanjan is a case in point. A dam is being constructed in its vicinity to supply a recreational lake. However water from the lake can enter the cave and destroy it gradually.“
He further said that sections of Hameh Kasi Cave in Hamedan province have been destroyed with the start of road construction project.
Davood Mohammadifar was another participant in the meeting.
He has authored several books, including ’History of Mountain Climbing in Iran’. He proposed that mountaineers, in collaboration with the Society of Mountain Climbers, begin talks with related governmental officials to protect the caves of the country.
Chairman of the society’s Board of Directors, Abbas Mohammadi said that the meeting primarily aimed at establishing a working group for safeguarding caves. “Once the working group becomes operational, we will try to train potential cave explorers how to avoid destructive actions when they visit caves,“ he noted.

Handicrafts Fest
Northern Khorasan handicrafts are put on display at the Kish Handicrafts Festival. that will run till September.

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Ancient Bridges
Undergoing Repairs
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Operations to restore two ancient bridges of ’Kheiri’ and ’Mohammad Khan’ in Gachsaran, Kohkilouyeh-Boyer Ahmad province, have begun, said CHTN.
Announcing this, an expert with the Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Department of Kohkilouyeh-Boyer province in charge of renovating historical sites told Chtn that the first phase of the restoration works began last month.
Masoud Shafie noted that about 290 million rials from provincial funds have been allocated for the first phase of operation.
The official said that the restoration project will be conducted in several phases. “To complete all phases, a total of four billion rials will be needed,“ he added.
The two ancient bridges, which date back to the pre-Islamic era, are located 45 kilometers from Gachsaran city in the historical complex of Kheirabad.

Postal Museum to Chronicle Iran’s History
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The largest postal and telecom museum in the Middle East will be set up in Tehran to chronicle the 2,500-year history of Iran’s postal system, said Presstv.
Among the pieces to be displayed at the 18,000 square-meter compound are stamps dating back to the Qajar era (1781-1925) as well as more contemporary collections from the Pahlavi era (1925-1979).
The museum will also include collections from the Islamic Republic of Iran, which made special use of postage stamp as a medium to deliver political, religious and social message following the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Alireza Berangi, head of public relations at Iran’s Post Museum, contends that the ambitious venture will eventually bring the country’s postal system to international standards.
“The largest postal and telecommunication museum benefits from fruitful cooperation of the Universal Postal Union’s 192 members states,“ he said.
The museum, which is to be supported by Telecommunications Company of Iran, will highlight the development of the postal service into a modern communications industry.

Int’l Tour Operators to Meet in Tehran
International seminar on ’World Tour Operators’ will be held in Tehran on November 24.
Announcing this, the head of Marketing and Publicity Office of Iran’s Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization’s Tourism Department Majid Esfandiari said that the event will seek to promote Iranian tourism.
Stating that some 15 exhibitions, festivals and seminars on tourism will also be held this year, he said that Tehran will host the Second Tourism Assembly of Muslim Countries’ Chambers of Commerce from October 11-14, reported IRNA.
The exhibition titled ’My Land Kish’ will be held in Kish Island from December 2-5, he said.
A seminar on hotel management and related industries as well as an exhibition featuring tourism hotel management are also on the agenda to promote tourism, Esfandiari said.
He added that nations’ cuisine and tourism festival and national seminar on innovation and prosperity of tourism will be held in the capital this year to make Iranian and foreign tourists acquainted with the capabilities in the fields of cultural, historical and natural tourism.