Place of Value and Valuation Practices in the Conservation and Restoration Approaches of the Persepolis World Heritage Site

Survey and analysis of different distinctive conservation/restoration periods in Persepolis (from 1931 until present time) shows that the conservation approaches were mainly based on archaeological investigations and after that, the emphasis was made on the Venice Charter. The main aim of this paper is to analyze and evaluate these conservation/restoration approaches as well as decisions made during these phases in Persepolis, considering the significance and status of heritage values in the decision making processes. For this purpose, the history of the historic site was studied from various sociological perspectives. In addition, examinations were made on the conservation/restoration activities using existing documents and conducting field works. This study shows that the conservation decisions were chiefly based on political and social variations and not solely on the authentic values attributed to the monument. Furthermore the physical characteristics of the site have always been the dominant criteria for the actual conservation/restoration activities, while there are more needs for considerable spiritual, value-based approaches to plan effective conservation/restoration projects.