IranMania, Iran
Sept 21 2005

Andimeshk’s Armenian Church in limbo

Wednesday, September 21, 2005 – ©2005 IranMania.com

LONDON, September 21 (IranMania) – Despite the lapse of one year
since an Armenian church in Andimeshk, Khuzestan province, was handed
over to the Cultural Heritage Department for being transformed into a
museum, no construction work has yet taken place at the site,
according to Iran Daily.

The Persian daily ?Iran? reported that Iran?s Cultural Heritage and
Tourism Organization (ICHTO) had earlier announced plans to turn the
Armenian Church into a museum and correspondence was exchanged with
the Southern Armenian Archdiocese which had accepted the plan.

Deputy head of the Cultural Heritage and Tourism Department in
Khuzestan, Shojaei said that the Armenian Archdiocese has urged the
ICHTO to repair the church, but, this was not possible due to a
shortage of funds.

He said that the cooperation of Armenian Archdiocese to cede the
church for use as a public museum is praiseworthy adding that it
would be useful for Khuzestan province.

The official pointed out that Khuzestan is ancient and every city in
the province deserves to have its own museum.

Khuzestan province is an archeology paradise, he said citing ancient
cities of Shoush, Abadan, Haft Tapeh and Behbahan which are renowned
for several hundred monuments and cultural sites.

He said that ICHTO has also drawn up plans to build museums in
Shoushtar, Dezful, Masjed Soleiman, Izeh and Abadan which will
materialize in the near future.

He said that a sum of seven bln rials has been earmarked for building
museums in different cities of Khuzestan province.