Sabet Pasal Protection Prioritized by ICHHTO

Issuing permits to build a five-star hotel in the compound of Sabet Pasal Mansion in Tehran depends on the owner promising to leave the main building, gazebo and the pool in the southern part of the compound intact.

According to Rajabali Khosroabadi, the head of Tehran Province's office of Iran's Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization, protecting the main building is the organization's priority and construction of lodging facilities will be decided upon by the relevant offices at the organization, ILNA reported.

"The owner must pledge to comply with regulations before permits can be issued," he said, adding that the hotel would take up about 10% of the site's area.

Sabet Pasal Mansion, also known as "Stone Palace" or "Iran's Versailles Palace", is Tehran's largest historical house located to the north of Africa Boulevard in Elahiyeh neighborhood. It was built in the second Pahlavi period across an area of 11,500 square meters, modeled after Petit Trianon Chateau on the grounds of the Palace of Versailles.

It belonged to wealthy Iranian businessman Habibollah Sabet, known as Sabet Pasal, but was seized by Mostazafan Foundation after the 1979 Islamic Revolution. It is now owned by Ali Ansari, managing director of Ayandeh Bank.

Two years ago, the demolition of Sabet Pasal was proposed, but ICHHTO managed to prevent it after talks with Tehran Municipality.

Khosroabadi said last month there is no need to inscribe the site on the National Heritage List. However, Farhad Nazari, the head of Cultural and Historical Heritage Registration Office at ICHHTO, was quoted as saying by the Persian daily Sharq, "It is imperative to inscribe the site on the list soon."

That would prevent the implementation of any development project in its buffer zone.

Mehdi Chamran, the outgoing chairman of Tehran City Council, had recently said the building "is of no cultural value" and supported a proposal to construct a mosque in its place as well as a commercial center "to cover the expenses of the mosque". However, cultural heritage official have dismissed Chamran's whitewash claim and proposal as baseless.