Dizaj Siyavosh Mansion in Urumia, West Azerbaijan is to be repurposed into the first traditional Iranian bank, ISNA reported.
According to an agreement between Maskan Bank and the provincial office of Iran’s Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts, and Tourism Organization (ICHHTO), the restoration and renovation project of the mansion has begun.
The two organizations have funded the project and Maskan Bank is expected to establish Iran’s first traditional bank in which all banking transactions are carried out in a traditional manner; using traditional equipments, said the director of ICHHTO in West Azerbaijan, Jalil Jabbari.
Negotiations are underway to obtain the permit for renovating a number of state-owned historical monuments to be able to preserve the heritage for future generations, he asserted.
Inscribed on Iran’s National Heritage List, the rectangular two-story Dizaj Siavosh Mansion is one of the most prominent structures embodying the rather contemporary architecture of the final years of the Pahlavi era.
It has a completely symmetrical structure with a skillfully built brick work on the outer walls. Baghdadi-style-inspired gable roofs as well as a balcony on the building’s northern flank are other features of the structure. Among the most surprising characteristics of the mansion, its ability to stand the test of time and endure decades of constantly-changing weather conditions stand out.
