Revitalization and Utilization Fund for Historical Places (known by its Persian acronym SAABTA) is holding an auction to hand over four historic monuments in East Azarbaijan Province to private contractors. The auction paperwork and forms are available at the fund's official website http://saabta.ir. Interested parties have until June 3 to submit their bids and the result will be announced on June 4, ISNA reported on Monday.
"The renovation and revival of historic sites in cooperation with the private sector has proved an effective policy to preserve them in light of a budget deficit facing the government. In line with this policy, four historic mansions in East Azarbaijan Province, namely Nasehzadeh, Sorkhe'ei and Ma'budi houses in Tabriz and Amir Arshad House in Varzaqan were put on the SAABTA's auction list," said Morteza Abdar , director of the provincial office of Iran's Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization.
"Preserving and revitalizing these ancient buildings could give a major boost to provincial plans for tourism development," Abdar said. Under SAABTA's initiatives, regulations have been amended to facilitate the participation of the private sector in restoring national historic sites to put them into service, he added.
East Azerbaijan Province, often touted as the origin of the Persian Constitutional Revolution, and especially its capital Tabriz, boasts a rich ancient history and culture reflected in historical monuments and buildings around the northwestern province.
