TEHRAN –The home of the Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, when he was living in exile in Iranshahr, southeast Iran, has come up for auction to be temporarily ceded to private investors, Mehr reported on Saturday.  

The auction has been organized by the Revitalization and Utilization Fund for Historical Places to achieve higher productivity and better maintenance.

Situated in Sistan-Baluchestan province, the modest house was the residence of Ayatollah Khamenei from 1977 to 1978 before the victory of the Islamic Revolution. 

The house, which is now in use as a Quran museum, is made of clay and mud. Traditional and indigenous architecture of the region can be seen in the house. It has four rooms around a courtyard, a very beautiful pool, which stands out in the middle of it, and a bakery inside the house. 

According to cultural heritage officials, this sort of investment seems to be attractive for private investors, because accommodation in [well-preserved] monuments is attractive for both domestic and foreign tourists.

Over 50 historical monuments and aging structures have recently gone under the hammer in 25 provinces to be temporarily ceded to the private sector, some of which are on the verge of destruction. 

The historical sites and monuments will be leased for about 16 years, and if the operators fulfill obligations, with the approval of the experts of the Revitalization and Utilization Fund for Historical Places, it is possible to extend the contracts. 

While the government suffers from the lack of sufficient budget for the restoration of all centuries-old sites, these auctions could provide the opportunity for privately-owned businesses to run certain old structures to be maintained and repurposed into hotels, traditional restaurants, or lodging places, while it also helps to recover many magnificent monuments from gradual destruction.

The Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism, and Handicrafts announced last December that of the numerous historical buildings and structures that are scattered across Iran, some 2,500 ones need restoration.

Iran hosts some of the world’s oldest cultural monuments including bazaars, museums, mosques, bridges, bathhouses, madrasas, gardens, as well as rich natural and rural landscapes, more than 20 of which have been registered on the prestigious UNESCO World Heritage list.

ABU/AFM