On August 2, 2016, a large section of the old quarter of Meybod, a city in the Yazd province of Iran, was destroyed. The quarter was recognized as a part of the National Iranian Heritage and was planed to be registered by UNESCO’s Cultural Heritage Index. The recent development has nullified this possibility. As Riahi Moghadam, the director of the Historical Studies Center of Meybod has put it, “this was the largest damage done to the old quarter in recent years.”  

            He also explains that “the main nucleus of the old quarter, including a dome and its peripheral structures, was destroyed by the trustees of the dome and the residents without permission from the relevant authorities.”

            Nevertheless, independent witnesses report that the operation was executed under the watch of security forces and responsible guards.