Following the theft of five valuable colored tiles from Nasir-ol-Molk Mosque in Shiraz earlier this week, the office of Iran’s Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization in Fars Province has taken measures to replace the stolen tiles.
Also called the Pink Mosque, Nasir-ol-Molk Mosque is famous for its unique architecture and the colored tiles.
“Iran’s Endowments and Charity Affairs Organization is in charge of protecting the building and ICHHTO is only responsible for restoration work,” said Mosayyeb Amiri, the head of the provincial office of ICHHTO, ISNA reported.
“Nevertheless, ICHHTO’s protection unit arrived at the scene shortly after the theft was reported.”
He added that temporary replacements will be installed in place of the stolen ones so that experts have enough time to make tiles matching the original patterns.
Pointing to the need for using modern technology to protect historical sites, Amiri said these systems will not suffice and guards need to be stationed around the site.
Asked whether the mosque was equipped with CCTV cameras, Hamid Kesht, caretaker of the mosque, said the security system “had been purchased but not yet installed.”
The caretaker pointed out that this was not the first case of robbery and the bronze door knocker had been stolen twice before, IRNA reported.
The managing director of the endowment organization maintains that the tiles were stolen by vagrants or drug addicts who frequent the alley where the mosque’s entrance is located.
Seyyed Abbas Mousavi added that his organization is seriously pursuing the case with the police.
Nasir-ol-Molk mosque was built during the Qajar era on the order of Mirza Hassan Ali (also known as Nasir-ol-Molk), a Qajar ruler.
