Hotel developers destroying skyline of historic Abyaneh

The director of the Research Center of Abyaneh, Azimeh Riyahi, said that the hotel developers have also destroyed a mountain in the historic village of Abyaneh, which has ruined the skyline of the village.

“The CHTO Research Center had asked the officials in Isfahan to halt all construction in the village, but no serious step has been taken since.

“Several inspectors from the Isfahan Cultural Heritage and Tourism Department came to Abyaneh a while ago, but when the hotel manager showed them the construction license for the hotel, which was the license for construction outside the village not inside it, they accepted it and returned to Isfahan. And now five stories have so far been built, and the center was only able to halt construction of the sixth floor,” she explained.

She went on to say that the center has done its best to halt the project, but it seems that the hotel developers are doing as they please without any fear.

The construction regulations of Abyaneh state that no building taller than two stories can be built, and the hotel is no exception, she said.

The recent construction activities could create problems for efforts to register Abyaneh on the UNESCO World Natural Heritage List.

Abyaneh, located on the northwestern slope of Mount Karkas in Isfahan Province, 70 kilometers southeast of Kashan, is one of Iran’s oldest villages.

With its unique reddish structures, it is like a living architectural and anthropological museum.

The village attracts a great number of Iranian and foreign tourists throughout the year, especially for its traditional feasts and ceremonies.

It is a village of living traditions, unique architectural styles, and probably the most interesting example of human adaptation to nature.

The village is compact, with narrow and sloped lanes and houses located on the slope as if placed on a stairway. The roofs of some houses are the courtyards of other houses higher up on the slope.

There are many buildings inspired by Islamic and Zoroastrian architectural designs in the village.

RM/HG

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MNA