TEHRAN – The Society of 
Iranian Archaeology has appealed to President Masoud Pezeshkian for urgent action to protect Persepolis and other archaeological heritage threatened by urban expansion, construction and illegal excavation.
In a letter to the president, the society expressed particular concern over a proposal to incorporate about 160 hectares of the second-degree protection zone surrounding Persepolis into the urban area of Marvdasht in Fars Province. 
Archaeologists warn that such development could bring construction closer to the archaeological areas of Firouzi, Meydan-e Mellat and the wider ancient landscape of Parsa.
The proposal has become the subject of conflicting official accounts. Behzad Moridi, director general of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts of Fars Province, has said that the proposed incorporation has not been implemented and remains under review. 
The Society of Iranian Archaeology argues that the discrepancies between published reports, planning decisions and official statements require immediate intervention and full disclosure of the relevant documents.
The concern extends beyond a modern planning dispute. Persepolis, founded by Darius I in the late sixth century BCE, was the ceremonial center of the Achaemenid Empire and is one of the world’s major archaeological sites. 
UNESCO inscribed Persepolis on the World Heritage List in 1979 and identifies the growth of Marvdasht, new village development and industrial expansion as potential threats to the property’s integrity and buffer zone.
The archaeological landscape is considerably larger than the monumental terrace itself. The wider Parsa landscape includes Persepolis, the ancient city of Estakhr, Naqsh-e Rostam and Naqsh-e Rajab. UNESCO describes these sites as part of a historically interconnected landscape around Persepolis.
The society has called for the development proposal to be independently reviewed and for construction or land-use changes affecting the protected area to be suspended until their archaeological and legal implications are established. 
It also seeks publication of planning maps, decisions and correspondence; stronger protection against illegal excavation and antiquities trafficking; increased funding for endangered monuments and archaeological sites; and greater professional oversight of heritage management.