August 08, 2014
Zahir-oddoleh Cemetery in the north of Tehran will be restored and turned into a tourist site, according to the head of newly-established Cultural Heritage Committee affiliated to Tehran City Council.
Ahmad Hakimipur said the will be restored with financial support from the private sector. “We should encourage the private sector to operate heritage sites by taking advantage of incentive policies since abandoning such sites will lead to their decline and destruction,” he said.
Zahir-oddoleh Cemetery is a favorite spot for poetry and literature enthusiasts on weekends. It is the resting place of many Iranian celebrities and artists. Poetess Forough Farrokhzad, author and poet Malek-ol-Shoara Bahar, singer Qamar-ol-Molouk Vaziri, musician Abolhassan Saba and composer Ruhollah Khaleqi are among the most celebrated figures interred there.
Burials have been prohibited in Zahir-oddoleh Cemetery since the 1960s.
The cemetery, which is run by Shemiran Religious Endowment Department (Awqaf), is open to visitors every day from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. except Thursdays and Fridays.