King Bushehr Mansion, a national monument in the possession of the homeless
The national monument of Malek Mansion in Bushehr, whose owner once lowered the flag of this government against the old British colonialism and has a special place and prestige in Bushehr, is today in the possession of homeless people who consider it their property and are willing to abandon it. Are not to expedite the completion of its restoration operations.
According to IRNA, we are talking about the 100-year-old house of Mohammad Mehdi Malek al-Tajjar; The skyscraper of the Qajar period in Bushehr, which has the memory of a happy day, is one of the most beautiful mansions in the south of the country. Bushehr Provincial Security Council.
In all the years of living in Bushehr, I had heard the name of Malek Mansion many times, but familiarity with this mansion with the same name and reading a brief history of it was limited. During our visit to the mansion with a group of reporters, although many traces of destruction and cruelty inflicted by the opposition were still scratched on the right side of the mansion, its majestic and strong pillar still shows good days.
Due to its large size and strength, this building has been and is a shelter for war migrants and some homeless people for a long time and until now, and through this, the wound of occupation, destruction and persecution has taken over, but as the executor of the project explained Today it has been tried to be repaired.
A building with the style of exterior architecture of French palaces
A look at the history of the mansion and its unique features is valuable to clarify the importance of restoration and, better yet, its salvation; “Mohammad Mehdi Malek al-Tajjar”, the owner of this famous mansion in the “Bahmani” neighborhood of Bushehr, was a wealthy businessman who met with many local and foreign businessmen and the Consul General of the Qajar period in Bushehr; During one of his trips to France, he fell in love with the architecture of the country’s palaces, and this interest laid the foundation for the construction of the mansion.
According to Soodabeh Memouri, in charge of registering the works of the General Directorate of Heritage, Culture, Tourism and Handicrafts of Bushehr Province: Bushehr-Shiraz was considered vital, it was built.
According to him, the architecture used in the mansion is derived from 19th century mansions in France, but it is made of eco-friendly building materials, including coral stones and “chandel” wood, taken from the mangrove forests, and its doors and windows. Built under the supervision of French engineers.
The mansion is built on 2 floors with an area of 24 thousand and 500 square meters and the area of the nobility is 9 thousand and 700 square meters. It is connected to the main building with a row of stairs and the third part of the mansion is related to the entrance of the building and includes the porch space which consists of three pairs of columns that reach the main building, as well as a large wooden door with decorations. Metal can be seen in this part and the fourth part is the main building. It has 2 floors and unique paintings can be seen on its walls.
In the lower hall of the mansion; The Queen of Merchants held meetings with influential people, and private banquets were held upstairs. Due to the fact that the style of the interior architecture of this mansion is taken from the construction on the shores of the Persian Gulf called Bangla, it includes a protected area, a fort and a royal residence, and several porches and living rooms. There are also nesting gardens that are separated by a wall and each has a separate entrance to connect with the outside space.
Unlike other old buildings in Bushehr, Malek mansion does not have an outer staircase facing the space, and the stairs of this building have a round, low height and circular spaces in the center, a roofed and protruding entrance; Its service space consists of stables, bathrooms, crew space and an exchange office.
One of the strangest advantages of the mansion is related to its unique cooling system, so that the thick wall of this mansion has two walls and there is a distance of about 2 meters between the two walls, and this wall causes the air temperature inside the mansion to be constant. It should be kept, because the distance between these two walls was filled with wet palm leaves or a kind of thorn so that the air could enter this chamber through special vents and after colliding with these wet plants, it would cool down and enter the mansion through the ground holes until summer. Make the interior of the mansion cool and pleasant like an air conditioner.
The mansion of the British military headquarters
This Qajar mansion has a valuable historical memory; The house of the merchant was not spared by the British invaders during the First World War and was used as a British military base. They lived in this palace for many years. They took him to England.
Due to the dispute between Malik al-Tajjar and the British, the political representation of this government in Bushehr took the mansion from this family and until the last years of Qajar era, Malik mansion became one of the most important British military centers in Bushehr and at the end of Reza Shah’s reign Which had been turned into a military dormitory, was demolished after several renovations and could not be restored due to its large size.
During the last 40 years, the palace of the Queen of Merchants has also suffered from misfortunes and has been occupied by homeless people and war migrants, and uncoordinated constructions have taken place in its area, which has affected the appearance of this national and historical monument.
National registration of the mansion until restoration
This historical mansion was registered as one of the national monuments of Bushehr province on December 8, 1998 with the number 2184, but it still received guests, some of whom consider themselves owners, and organizing and evicting them requires strong will and determination. Is.
This historic mansion was acquired by the General Directorate of Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism of Bushehr Province in 2004 and finally in 1397 by the General Directorate and with the cooperation of other provincial institutions and organizations, seven families living in the main building were taken out of the building. They were relocated and a window of hope sprouted to revive the mansion.
In August 2009, this mansion was handed over to the private sector by the General Directorate of Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism for the fund for the revival and exploitation of historical and cultural sites, the development of handicrafts and handmade carpets, until this building is renovated and turned into a cultural and residential complex. , Tourism to be transformed and exploited.
According to the Deputy Minister of Cultural Heritage of the General Directorate of Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism of Bushehr Province, seven families lived in the main building or the royal residence of this mansion, which was organized and housed with the coordination of provincial officials and other support agencies.
But as Nasrullah Ebrahimi says: There are still 60 to 70 other families living around this historic mansion, which, considering the 45% progress of the renovation of the main building, requires their cooperation and the support of the Provincial Security Council and other support institutions.
Of course, he reminds that so far, the eviction order has been issued twice, but it has not been implemented, and its implementation is subject to the decision of the Bushehr Provincial Security Council, which must determine the necessary feasibility with the cooperation of senior provincial officials to determine their location.
As Ebrahimi acknowledges: Restoration of historic buildings is one of the approaches that protects them from serious damage and plays an important role in discussing tourism development, job creation, economic prosperity and tourist attraction, but according to this cultural heritage expert Due to the limited funds of the restoration sector, the presence of the private sector in this sector can be a help to the government and a solution to preserve the historical monuments as a cultural heritage of the region.
Although the occupiers had disrupted the property by interfering with it, as the project contractor says, it was returned to its original condition with great difficulty.
The continued presence of the protesters in the mansion is a waste of the building’s restoration costs
The master of restoration of the building and the contractor of the Malek mansion project says: At present, the work of strengthening and restoring the structure has been done and it is in the stage of restoration, decoration, restoration and operation.
Abbas Mohtarami continues: So far, more than 6 billion tomans have been spent for the repair and rehabilitation of the mansion, and due to inflation and high prices of materials, this project is expected to end with an investment of 10 to 12 billion tomans.
In his opinion, a heavy investment has been made to revive the property, but until this building is completely taken out of the hands of the occupiers, this investment is useless because of the inappropriate presence of opponents around and around the historic building if the work is completed. Renovation of the mansion is still not possible for tourists to stay and stay in it.
Mohtarami also agrees with Ebrahimi that as an investor, without the support and tact of the provincial officials, it is not possible to expel these opponents from the area around the property.
This master of restoration continues as follows: There are historical and unique spaces around the Malek mansion, which have been destroyed due to the presence of the opposition and the encroachment and occupation that they have done, and the example of the bath belongs to the Qajar period. Despite the fact that access to this work has been blocked several times to preserve it, it can still be seen that drug addicts and some vagrants are destroying it and entering it.
Completing the renovation of the mansion will boost tourism, the economy and employment, and improve security
Mr. Mohtarami says that there is a square behind the Malek mansion which, if reconstructed, could be a small-scale Imam (Isfahan) square for Bushehr, and if this area is evacuated and repaired, a special effect will be given to this part of the city.
According to him, the restoration of historical monuments and their transformation into residential and cultural spaces in each region attracts more tourists, and this causes economic prosperity and employment, and on the other hand, improves the standard of living and security in the region.
At one time, the mansion was considered one of the main buildings of the city and there was a lot of traffic in it. he does.
Roof property mansion for shelters
As mentioned at the beginning of this report, Malek Mansion has become a roof for the homeless these days and several families live around the mansion; The lives of these people and non-engineering constructions, in a word, as a shelter, have caused changes in the space around the mansion, and these intrusions and occupations will damage this old mansion more than over time, but to evacuate the space around the building. City officials must find a solution because most of these people are poor and homeless.
In the meantime, it is not without merit to hear the words of the residents around the mansion, many of whom now claim ownership.
Hashem is one of the residents who can not afford to rent and pay heavy rent in Bushehr and inevitably lives in one of the block houses built around the mansion. He says: I do not have a good business and with a thousand misfortunes five years ago, I paid 10 million tomans to the previous owner of this shed so that I could create a shelter for my family in this place.
He added: “There are all kinds of people in this environment. Of course, there are respectable people who have taken refuge in this building out of necessity, and if the officials find a solution, they will get up from here;” According to Hashem, if the authorities evacuate the residents of the mansion by force and without providing shelter for them, all these families should set up tents along the street because they have no other shelter.
Many residents around the mansion did not want to talk much, but their most important demand is a proper decision by the authorities in this regard, because they do not know of any other shelter other than this mansion in this city.
According to the officials of cultural heritage, handicrafts and tourism of Bushehr province, the restoration and restoration of Malek mansion is 45% physical progress and the first phase of restoration, which is related to the first floor of the building, is scheduled to be completed within the next eight months. The foundations and walls have been strengthened in the early stages of the work and the exterior of the mansion is being reconstructed and rehabilitated with materials suitable for the region’s climate.
Preservation and revival of valuable historical buildings in the province, in addition to promoting tourism, creating employment and economic prosperity, in a way introduces people to the roots and ancient history of this land, which requires officials with more compassion and effort to preserve these cultural assets. And take a step towards the history of Bushehr province.
