The tomb of Ferdowsi, the renowned Iranian epic poet, located in the town of Tous near Mashhad, Khorasan Razavi Province, is to be revamped and expanded as per a memorandum of understanding between Iran’s Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization and Mashhad Municipality.
As a non-profit national program to honor the great poet, the development scheme will be funded by the municipality and carried out under the supervision of ICHHTO.
According to Abolfazl Mokarramifar, head of the provincial ICHHTO office, the plan will be implemented across a 6-hectare area in front of the existing monument.
“The area is to turn into a memorial tomb-garden for Ferdowsi like the mausoleums of Hafez and Saadi [also literary luminaries] in Shiraz [Fars Province],” he told ILNA.
The initial phase of the plan which involves scoping the project has been carried out and the consultancy firm has been selected by ICHHTO.
“Next Sunday, the municipality, ICHHTO and the consultant will determine the details of the project and the next phase will soon be initiated,” Mokarramifar said.
The 6-hectare area is under ICHHTO ownership but the municipality will be in charge of future services to visitors in addition to covering the costs of the project.
No Commercial Construction
The official explained that no construction has been envisioned in the area.
“Only a quadrilateral or octagonal garden [inspired by traditional Iranian garden designs] with paths and fountains will be built and the green space will be decorated with shrubs and flowers,” he said.
He did not give details about the date of initiation or completion of the project but assured that work will proceed as planned without interruption.
“The technical council has approved the scheme and it is expected to start this month,” he said.
Regarding the contribution of the private sector, the official said several private companies will cooperate but with the help of ICHHTO’s experts and craftsmen.
Revival of Tous
A total 160 billion rials ($3.8 million) has been allocated for the development of the historical town of Tous including the revival of the town’s fortifications and the village of Paj, Ferdowsi’s birthplace, according to Mokarramifar.
“Apart from this budget, another 120 billion rials ($2.8 million) will be spent for promotion, branding and dissemination of information about Ferdowsi’s mausoleum at national and international levels,” he added.
“We are seeking to restore splendor to the ancient city of Tous.”
Following the tomb’s development project, another 42-hectare commercial scheme is on the agenda that involves the construction of restaurants, cafes, markets and other facilities to serve tourists.
“For this stage, we are looking for investors but ICHHTO will remain in charge of studies, choosing consultants and devising the plans,” he said.
Ferdowsi, also called “the Lord of the Word” and “the Savior of the Persian Language”, was a Persian poet and the author of Shahnameh (Book of Kings), which is the world’s longest epic poem created by a single poet, and the national epic of Greater Iran.
He was born in 940 in Paj near Tous in the Khorasan region of the Samanid Empire.
