Kourosh! Asoodeh bekhAb....

More than 100 of Iran's potentially most important but least examined
archaeological sites, including fringes of Pasargadae, the city built
by King Cyrus the Great, will be flooded in the next two years
according to the UN, which appealed yesterday to international
scientists to try to record what they can.

The flooding of the eight-mile Tang-e-Bolaghi gorge because of the
construction of a dam will destroy ancient Persia's imperial road which
ran from Persepolis to Pasargadae.

The Sivand dam has been planned for 10 years as part of a project to
provide irrigation water for farmers in the parched south of the
country.

But the speed of its construction and the scale of what will be lost
have surprised scientists and the UN.

Iranian archaeologists have pinpointed 129 sites of interest in the
gorge, ranging from prehistoric finds to remains of the Qajar monarchy
which fell in 1925.

Stretches of the cobbled road have already been unearthed but caves,
ancient paths, burial mounds, canals and other sites which have never
been excavated will also be lost. There are also legends of a long
underground "king's passage".

Unesco said yesterday it was hopeful that the world heritage site of
Pasargadae, Cyrus's capital city, renowned for its palaces, gardens and
the tomb of the founder of the Achaemenid dynasty, would be only
marginally affected.

The city, which was included in Unesco's world heritage site list last
year, is less than three miles from the end of the gorge.

It was built on the site where Cyrus defeated Astyages, the leader of
the Medes, in 550BC. It has added importance today because it is
believed to be the capital of the first Asian empire which respected
the cultural diversity of its people.

"We understand that only the buffer zone will be affected by the
flooding. There is no immediate physical risk but the site's potential
[heritage] value will be shrouded in mystery for ever", said Junko
Taniguchi, a Unesco officer in Tehran.

Unesco and Iran have called on international archaeologists to go to
the sites and eight teams of Iranian, French, German, Italian,
Japanese, Polish and others are expected to arrive next month. "But
they will only be able to do initial research. It is unfortunate but
the work is very urgent," said Ms Taniguchi.

Mohammad Hassan Talebian, the Iranian director of the group conducting
the "rescue archaeology", said the sites held a wealth of information
on Iran's past.

"One clearly sees the unspoken thoughts of past peoples in Tang-e
Bolaghi. We are not in a position to say 'don't do that project', but
we can delay the construction process," he said.

The dam's opening was planned for next March but the Iranian energy
ministry has delayed it to early 2006 to give the archaeologists more
time to examine the sites.

Masoud Azarnoush, director of archaeological research at the Iranian
Cultural Heritage Organisation in Tehran, was stoical about the
flooding of the valley. "We are losing irreplaceable human heritage
here but we have to take into account the fate of the country and
people as well," he said.

Treasures that may disappear

Thirty-five of 788 Unesco world heritage sites are officially listed by
the organisation as at risk. They include:

The fort and Shalamar Gardens, Lahore, Pakistan

The marble palaces and mosques of the fort with their intricate
mosaics, terraced gardens and fountains were built during the Mughal
period some 400 years ago. But tanks built 375 years ago to supply
water to the garden's fountains were destroyed in June 1999 during
road-widening on the south side of the gardens and perimeter walls are
also deteriorating

The city of Zabid, Yemen

The ancient city of Zabid, the capital of Yemen from the 13th to the
15th century, is an important archaeological site and played a crucial
role in the Arab and Muslim world because of its Islamic university.
Unesco says there is "serious deterioration in the city's heritage"
with around 40% of the city's houses replaced by concrete buildings

The Kathmandu valley, Nepal

The valley is at the crossroads of Asian civilisations and contains the
three residential and palace areas of the royal cities of Kathmandu,
Patan and Bhaktapur as well as groups of Hindu and Buddhist monuments.
Its shrines, temples, bathing sites and gardens are being swamped by
uncontrolled urban development

Everglades national park, Florida

The Florida Everglades contain a wide variety of wetland habitats
suiting birds and reptiles and are home to threatened species such as
the manatee. Its ecology has been damaged by the encroachment of urban
areas, pollution and flood protection measures which lowered the water
level

The Royal palaces of Abomey, Benin

The palaces, which were built by the royal line in Abomey from 1625 to
1900, cover more than 40 hectares (100 acres) and showcase the
architecture, history and art of the region. A tornado that struck
Abomey in 1984 caused extensive damage

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