Destructive Development: Bayn al-Haramayn Project in Shiraz

Shahcheragh Shiraz, an urban space with a variety of functions such as religious, social, political, and economic in the traditional city of Shiraz, used to be the central religious-social nucleus a hundred years ago. It was a daily or weekly meeting place for people with different beliefs and convictions. With the expansion of the city of Shiraz and the changes in the physical borders of the city, the historical context around the shrine has been the target of development and conservation from the approved programs of the administrators since 1951. After the destruction of a large part of the historical context of Shiraz under the pretext of the revitalization plan, 57 hectares of textures near the Holy Shrine of Seyyed Alauddin Hossein were about to be destroyed in 2021. This plan has not been implemented until now despite the efforts of experts and knowledgeable people. Owing to people’s awareness of the performance of Astana and Shahcheragh, and their sanctity,  the question is the destruction of the boundaries of the two shrines and their connection can be done at what purpose and at what cost, by the city managers who are the trusted representatives of the people? In the belief of Muslims, religious spaces and the sanctum of religious spaces for the purification of the soul and experiencing the predominance of the spiritual atmosphere of the space. Can a place of pilgrimage be called Bayn al-Haramayn while commercial use is not in line with religious and historical context? Can officially prevent the pilgrims from soul purification and encourage them to pay attention to material things. In such an atmosphere, the audience does not seem to be a pilgrims, but a tourist buying necessities and souvenirs.