A university building project in the Persepolis area has been halted by Cultural Heritage officials of Fars Province because it violates building regulations for that area and distorts the view of the ancient ruins.
ISNA reports that last March, the Marvdasht Azad University announced that it would build a new complex near Persepolis, including a mosque.
The Cultural Heritage office said that no section of the project could exceed eight metres in height.
Now it has been determined that the frames for the two mosque minarets have already exceeded this regulation.
Masood Rezai, the head of Fars Cultural Heritage, said the matter was raised at a meeting with university officials, where it was agreed that the minarets will have to be reduced in height.
Rezai said construction has now been halted, adding “UNESCO is very sensitive about the protection of the boundaries of Persepolis, and it is our duty to comply with the regulations for the protection of Persepolis.”
Persepolis, which was the capital of the Achaemenid Empire dating back as far as 515 BCE, is located 70 km northeast of Shiraz near the city of Marvdasht.
