Book Chapter

Editing culture

Manoukian, Setrag, Setrag Manoukian

2012,2011

Overview

In the autumn of 1996, the Foundation for the Study of Fars, a cultural institution of the Shiraz municipality, organized a conference on the history and culture of the region of Fars. On that occasion, the Foundation promoted the restoration of the column in Valî 'Asr Square that had been damaged during the revolution. The shaft was repaired and repainted and a new cast was prepared from another replica of the same bull-shaped capital. 1 The bulls were once again about to dominate the square with their majestic presence. However, acting on the orders of the imâm-i jum'a of Shiraz, and with the restoration almost completed, security forces intervened and stopped the work. 2 For some time the bulls remained covered with a white cloth wrapped around the scaffolding put in place for the restoration (Figure 3.1). In the end, the capital was completely destroyed, not just damaged as it had been in the days of the revolution. The final outcome of the restoration was a perfect replica of an Achaemenid column without the bull-shaped capital (Figure 3.2).

• Publisher: Routledge,Taylor & Francis Group
• Subject: 20th century history: c 1900 to c 2000 / Iran / Middle Eastern history
• ISBN: 9781138789449, 1138789445, 0415783283, 9780415783286