TEHRAN – A restoration work is getting arranged to safeguard the house of late Ayatollah Mahmoud Taleghani, an Iranian religious person who was a key figure in the Islamic Revolution that overthrew the monarchy of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi in 1979.

Geographically located in the Taleghan county with its lush, scenic view, the house hosts many memorials owned by Ayatollah Taleghani during his precious life.

“This house needs restoration, and Ayatollah Taleghani’s family has good cooperation with the cultural heritage department [of Alborz province],” the provincial tourism chief said on Sunday.

“A technical team of cultural heritage experts along with experienced restorers have inspected the house to formulate a roadmap for its restoration project,” Rahim Khaki said.

The official said parts of this house needed an urgent restoration and 1.5 billion rials ($3,000) has been allocated for that phase.

“Moreover, in the lower part of Ayatollah Taleghani's house, there is a historical bathhouse, which we are trying to revive so that it becomes one of the tourist attractions located in Taleghan,” the official said.

In addition to the historical atmosphere of his house, the green surrounding of Taleghan makes it more attractive to tourists. It contains widely diverse wildlife and flora and it is famous for having a beautiful lake, waterfall, and nature.

The distance between Taleghan and Tehran is 166 km and there is about 115km distance from it to Karaj, the capital of Alborz province.

The population of Taleghan is considerably increased during summers, and most people come here as a countryside destination. Despite the coldness of the weather, nature trekkers and mountain climbers travel to this city even in winter.

Placed within a vast valley, Taleghan is extremely attractive for its waterfalls: Sholebon, Karkaboud, Sohan, Kherschar, Askan, Varkesh waterfalls, and Milin Seasonal Waterfall. It also has a shared border with Alamut and Mazandaran province to the north and with Savojbolagh to the south. The nature of Taleghan has an extremely special place in the job of people so most of them are occupied with agriculture and animal breeding.

Moreover, Taleghan is home to many manmade caves. Some historians believe that the ancient people hid themselves in these caves at the time when their enemies attacked. Though reaching the caves seems a little hard, it is worth visiting.

Travelers to Taleghan usually buy honey, local bread, dairy products especially local cheese, and fruits such as mountain barberry, pear, cherry, apple, rhubarb, walnut, thyme, and mountain mushroom as souvenirs. 

AFM