TEHRAN - A historical building known as the Tumanian building, also referred to as the Padegan-e Rusha (“Russian barracks”) has recently been demolished in Sabzevar, northeastern Iran, prompting the Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts to blame the city’s municipality and pursue legal action.

The ministry has announced that the demolition was carried out without seeking an opinion from the local heritage authorities and was conducted so rapidly that little of the historical structure remains.

There was “no justification” for the demolition and that the case would be pursued through the courts, the ministry has underlined.

Moreover, in a note published following the incident, Roozbeh Kardooni, senior adviser to the minister of cultural heritage and tourism, has brough more light to the incident, saying that  the building was not listed on Iran’s national heritage register. He cautioned, however, that this did not mean it had no historical value or could be demolished without restrictions.

According to Kardooni, the Tumanian building, dating to the first Pahlavi period, had been explicitly identified as a “historic-value” structure in the revised map of Sabzevar’s historical urban area, which was issued in November 2024.

He said the municipality was aware of the building’s status. Nevertheless, Sabzevar Municipality’s District 2 reportedly authorized the demolition of its southern and eastern walls before obtaining an opinion from the local heritage office.

Roozbeh Kardooni, senior adviser to the minister of cultural heritage and tourism

Kardooni said the Sabzevar heritage office had issued no permit for the demolition of the walls, entrance portal or historical fabric of the building. A proposal submitted in 2025 by Sabzevar University concerning the possible technical relocation of the entrance portal, he added, was only submitted for review and did not constitute authorization for demolition.

The official also rejected the argument that private ownership allowed the building to be demolished, saying property rights were subject to urban regulations.

Elsewhere in his remarks, Kardooni said it considers the demolition a violation of applicable regulations and has begun legal proceedings. It is also seeking to require the municipality to reconstruct and restore the building based on historical documentation.

The demolition has been halted, while the Sabzevar prosecutor’s office has opened a case.

Kardooni said parts of the building remain and that photographs, maps, aerial images and other historical documentation could provide a basis for emergency conservation, documentation and reconstruction of the demolished sections.

AM