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Iran destroys Ahwazi Arab cultural heritage sites

Ahwazna

 The Iranian regime last month ordered the demolition of one of the archaeological landmarks in the occupied Arab region of Ahwaz.

Ahwazi activists said security forces along with municipality staffers had demolished the cinema of Dar Khwain city which is located in the west of Ahwaz regional capital.

They added the regime apparatuses paid no heed to a petition presented by local residents calling for not bulldozing the historical site.

The cinema was established on orders of emir Khazal al-Kaabi, the last ruler of Ahwaz, in 1920.

The Iranian heritage agency had registered the building as a historical site. But the security apparatuses, since annexing Ahwaz in the 1920s, have been working relentlessly to erase the identity of the Arab people of Ahwaz.

Demolishing such archaeological sites is part of this policy.

Also, the regime has deliberately vandalized the palaces of prince Khazal in the city of Muhammarah, Hamidieh and the capital city of Ahwaz.

In November 2010, the Revolutionary Guards had pulled down Filya palace overlooking Shat al-Arab near Muhammarah. It was established in 1917.

Two years later, another palace established by prince Khazal in Hamidieh city was bulldozed.

In July 2013, the regime ordered the demolition of Saray al-Agam, located in the capital city of Ahwaz. It was registered as a historical site by the concerned heritage agency.

Ahwazi activists called on concerned international watchdogs to take a firm stand against the measures of the regime aimed to obliterate the Arab identity in the once-independent region of Ahwaz.

The Ahwazis believe that there is a battle ongoing on the soil of their region since the late 19th century. The aim of this battle is to reinstate the Persian Empire which fell centuries ago.

For the Ahwazis, the matter is more serious than is. The archaeological landmarks buried beneath the earth are more valuable than what is on its surface.

This battle is against falsifying truths and stealing the Ahwazi monuments in favor of the occupiers. This can be evident from Elam to Muhammarah to Bab al-Salam Strait, Hormoz. The Iranian regime is exerting its utmost efforts to gain legitimacy on the Ahwazi soil such as seizing farmlands and archaeological sites.

The Iranian regime resorted to orientalists to promote false narratives serving the regime's claims.

The aim of these moves is to highlight the Persian presence in the region in both ancient and recent times. The Iranian regime claims that the Ahwazis are not aboriginal people. They settled in the region during the Islamic conquest.

To further support these claims, the Iranian regime has embarked on razing to the ground the Ahwazi historical sites, stealing the Ahwazi monuments and falsifying the narratives so that the Ahwazi landmarks be attributed to the Akhmini dynasty.

According to Ahwazi rights activists, the Iranian regime wants entire Iran to become Persian even if it would happen at the expense of the Ahwazis.

"The regime seizes lands, changes curricula, and redraw borders to assert its dominance in the region," they added.  

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