How Did the 10,000-Toman Donations Save Qamishlu Castle? | Restoration Still Underway
In an era when news of neglect toward historical sites reaches us from every corner of this land, the good news of the restoration of Qamishlu Castle in Tiran and Karvan county, Isfahan province, funded by public donations, is heartening.
At a time when news of indifference to historical monuments is heard from all corners of this land, the good news of the restoration of Qomishlo Castle in Tiran and Koron cities of Isfahan province with the help of the people is encouraging.
Sefir Arjan - Rahleh Abdul Hosseini: A castle belonging to Masoud Mirza Zalul Sultan, son of Naseruddin Shah Qajar, which is one of the sights of this city with its royal, interior, baraam, kitchen, pantry, stables, gunners, crew and gardeners quarters, and was registered in the national register 25 years ago. Tirana and Krone Cultural Heritage Lovers Association has been restored since 15 years ago; Until today, the roof of the castle has been restored and leveled, but there is still a long way to go before the restoration of the castle is completed.
Qomishlo Castle was built by the order of Masoud Mirza Zalul Sultan, the ruler of Isfahan and the son of Naser al-Din Shah Qajar, for summer residence and hunting, and the architecture of the castle was formed according to this function. A complex surrounded by towers and fences, numerous courtyards and spaces with a clear hierarchy. Clay and mud, bricks, wooden beams and traditional roofs form an important part of the structure of the building, and Shahneshin with its semi-circular form is one of the different elements of this complex. Qomishlo Castle with an area of approximately 9 thousand square meters has 110 rooms with fireplaces with different designs. The windows of the castle are also made with the technique of chaladari, that is, the metal components are intertwined, bent and connected without using welding or screws.
The story of the restoration of Qomishlo Castle began with concern about the condition of the roof of the castle and continued with the collection of public donations. A member of the Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicraft Lovers Association of Tiran and Krone told Ambassador Arjan: "The Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts Department of the city did not have enough funds to save the ceiling. People decided to do the work themselves, and the Cultural Heritage Lovers Association was formed by paying small membership fees, and gradually benefactors, companies, and even Iranians abroad came to help."
Seyyed Abdullah Jalilian stated that the lamp of the community was lit with the presence of 12 people who paid 30 thousand tomans each, and the roof repair began, adding: "When the roof repair was finished, we were left with a bill of about 14 to 15 million tomans for the market debt and the teacher's and worker's fees."
"By taking the loan, a new debt was created called the loan installment," he explains, explaining that the association took an interest-free loan from a charity. In order to pay for it, we suggested that each of the 30 members should give one puff, which was only 10,000 tomans at that time, to the association. That's why we became known as the 10 Tomen Association. Later, the members of the association increased from 30 to 50.
He says that this model worked over time and even after a while, about 2 million Tomans remained in the association's fund, which was used to restore the castle pond and buy its tiles. Little by little, the foundation stones and various parts of Shahneshin, including the steps of Shahneshin, were restored in the same way.
Jalilan continues: "In the past year and a half, with the help of the private sector, about 2 billion Tomans were allocated for the restoration of the building's pitched roofs."
The restoration of Qamishlo Castle is still progressing smoothly with the help of people. It is not so fast that it can be said that the doors of the castle will be opened for tourists soon, and not so that the dust of wear and tear settles on the castle.
Isfahan's cultural heritage deputy says: "The presence of specialized associations and cultural heritage lovers in the process of protecting historical monuments can help to strengthen the process of collaborative protection. Preservation of historical buildings, especially large collections like Qomishlo Castle, requires the support of custodian bodies, specialized collections, local communities, and activists in the field of cultural heritage.
Referring to the fact that the castle is located 12 kilometers northeast of Tiran and in the center of the wide area of Qomishlo National Park, Ruhollah Seidal Asgari continues: "The protection of this complex is not limited to the maintenance of a historical monument, but is considered a part of the protection of cultural heritage in one of the important natural areas of Isfahan province. This castle is located in the area that includes the Qomishlo National Park with an area of about 86 thousand hectares, and this position has increased the importance of the relationship between the protection of the building, the surrounding environment and the historical values of this area.