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Works in Tang Balaqi: Reaction to Ignoring a Historic Site The Sivand Dam is currently being constructed in Fars Province in the Tang-e Bolaghi mountain pass near Pasargadae and threatens two critical ancient sites. Pasargadae was the first capital of the Persian Empire during the Achaemenid dynasty (about 550-331 BC). Tang-e Bolaghi was once part of the renowned imperial route to Persepolis and Susa. Teams of Iranian, Italian, French, Polish, German, Australian, and Japanese archaeologists have been assigned to save 129 ancient sites at Tang-e Bolaghi, which also contains sites from the Neolithic and Paleolithic periods, the early, middle, and late Elamite era (2700-645 BC), and the Sassanid era (224-651 CE).
Experts believe that the water stored in the dam’s reservoir will increase the humidity of the region, which will in turn damage the foundations of the great palaces of Pasargadae as well as the Tomb of Cyrus, the Great. The area is home to no less than 84 historical sites that include ancient mounds, metalworking furnaces, caves and shelters, stone tombs of the governors of Fars (from previous eras), two group graves from the Parthian era, an exclusive 4-kilometer royal road paved with stones, as well as several other historic sites which will be submerged under water when the dam becomes operational. As a reaction to this crisis, I have carved a series of fish on the rocks of Tang-I Balaqi’s riverbed. If the water rises, these carving will then appear underwater. I also carved ancient inscriptions on stones and dropped them in the water of the dam. The inscription was inspired by old texts that refer to the glory of God and the creation of the world. The documentation of this process led me to a new horizon. The shapes created by the crash of stones in the riverbed’s water were amazing. They might even be regarded as "Water Sculpture".
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