Iranwire – On Sizdah Bedar, the last day of the Nowruz celebrations, a group of Tehran residents gathered in the large Qeytariyeh Park to protest the planned construction of a mosque.
Concerns about the project had been simmering for weeks but significantly escalated after pictures of fencing erected around the park’s northern area were made public.
A campaign launched online against the project quickly garnered over 40,000 signatures from Tehran residents demanding the preservation of Qaitariya Park, one of the oldest in the city.
In response to the public outcry, an official from the Tehran Province Cultural Heritage Department announced the dismantling of the fences.
Mohsen Saadati, deputy director of cultural heritage, confirmed the presence of cultural heritage protection personnel in the park on March 31.
He said the fences had been removed, and no construction activity had begun.
However, Tehran’s mayor’s comments regarding the project sparked further criticism.
His claims that only a few saplings would be relocated from the mosque construction site drew ire from public figures, city officials, and social media users.
Contradicting the official narrative, public reports say that not only the fences remain in place, but construction appears to be ongoing.