Iran turns historic houses in Al-Ahwaz into tourist workshops to distort Ahwazi identity

In a new step aimed at erasing the national identity of Al-Ahwaz and falsifying its rich history, the head of the Heritage and Tourism Department of Iran in Al-Ahwaz announced the conversion of several historic houses in the city into artistic and tourist workshops, disregarding the fact that these sites are an integral part of the Ahwazi people’s identity and culture that has endured for centuries.

Through what it calls “tourism development,” the Iranian authorities are attempting to exploit Ahwazi heritage sites to serve their propaganda agenda, while these locations have long suffered from deliberate neglect and systematic destruction over decades.

According to official statements, more than 10 million people have visited Al-Ahwaz in a short period, yet the revenues have not benefited the city’s residents, who continue to face poverty and marginalization, while their natural and cultural resources are exploited for Iranian projects.

These policies clearly demonstrate Tehran’s attempt to impose an alien identity on Al-Ahwaz by altering the features of old houses and historic bridges, and presenting them to tourists as part of “Iranian heritage,” when in reality they stand as evidence of a genuine Arab Ahwazi history and civilization.

Ahwazi activists stress that these measures are nothing but another link in a long chain of Iranian policies aimed at erasing the Arab presence in Al-Ahwaz, by obliterating its cultural and historical landmarks, stripping them of their national essence, and attaching them to the project of so-called “Iranian tourism.”