By
Maryam Tabeshian
Stains of fake blood left by film crew making a
movie at the ancient Palace of Persepolis on the walls of palace of King Xerxes
have outraged cultural heritage experts.
Fake
blood stain on the wall of
King Xerxes Palace
Tehran, 24 December 2006 (CHN) --
Cultural heritage exerts at the Achaemenid Palace of Persepolis were outraged to
see stains of fake blood used for special effects by a group of film makers
shooting a feature-length movie at this ancient palace complex on the walls and
floor of a palace denoted to the Persian king Xerxes I (reigned 485-465 BC).
Last week, Persepolis security guards arrested a
film crewmember for trying to steal heads of two Achaemenid bas-reliefs,
completely removing head of the bas-relief of an Achaemenid soldier and
destroying the other one to a large extent. Following this incident, the
provincial Cultural Heritage Police Department confiscated all their filming
equipments and asked the filming crew and casts to immediately evacuate
Persepolis.
“After the group left Persepolis, one of the
security guards took experts to the filming scene where fake blood were poured
on the wall and floor by the group, ignoring warnings by the guards,” said
Afshin Yazdani, an archeologist at Persepolis. He further added that artificial
gunshots used by the filming crew while making the film caused panic among the
people visiting Persepolis that day.
A team of experts is now cautiously removing the
paints from the walls using special detergents. According to these experts,
chemical substances used for making this type of fake blood are absolutely
detrimental to ancient monuments. On the other hand, removing the blood from the
surface of the walls and floor of the palace is a very difficult task and could
seriously harm the palace.
Meanwhile, officials of the Cultural Heritage and
Tourism Department of Fars province have filed a lawsuit against the vandals and
are determined to pursue the case through legal means.
Why the film crews were given enough time to cause
such massive destruction to Persepolis, the symbol of Persian glory during the
Achaemenid Empire (550 BC–330 BC), is not clear but is partly the result of lack
of security at this Achaemenid palace. This is while experts had previously
warned that the number of security guards at
Persepolis is by no means sufficient, but no
action was taken to increase the number of guards at this ancient site which is
one of the most visited historic sites of Iran with an average number of 1200
daily visitors.
More than 16 centuries ago in 334 BC, Alexander of
Macedon savagely burnt down Persepolis. Since then, this Achaemenid palace
complex has seen much harm due to irresponsible behavior, whether on the part of
individuals or responsible organizations.
