SAEDNEWS: Recent rumors about preventing the installation of a 33-meter Ferdowsi statue at Ferdowsi University of Mashhad and its alleged connection to Martyr Ayatollah Raisi have been rejected by explanations from the former university president.
According to the political service of SaedNews analytical news website, quoting Fars News Agency, in recent days, statements by a member of the fifth Mashhad City Council regarding the prevention of installing a 33-meter Ferdowsi statue at Ferdowsi University have led to criticisms against Martyr Ayatollah Raisi. However, investigations and explanations from the university officials at the time indicate that this matter had no connection to his period of responsibility.
Masoud Mirzaei, the former president of Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, explained to a Fars News political correspondent about this issue: The story of this statue was raised in the spring of 2020 (1399 in the Iranian calendar) and was ultimately closed by the end of that year. At that time, Martyr Ayatollah Raisi was serving as the head of the judiciary, and the twelfth government under Hassan Rouhani was responsible for the country’s executive affairs.
According to Mirzaei, the plan to install this statue faced objections from technical, safety, and legal perspectives. The dimensions of this artwork were about 33 meters, equivalent to an 11- to 12-story building, and according to specialists’ assessments, it was not proportionate to the environment of the University’s Science Square. Accordingly, the Provincial General Cultural Council had also opposed its implementation.
He added: Decision-making on this matter was based on the university’s higher-level documents and the revised strategic plan of the same period, and any changes outside this framework lacked executive legitimacy. Eventually, instead of a large statue, a sculpture proportionate to the space depicting Ferdowsi was installed in the University Science Square, where it remains today.
Mirzaei also addressed some claims regarding the renaming of Ferdowsi University, stating: Such claims are incorrect, and the use of the term “Pardis” was merely in naming one of the university’s sections during the twelfth government, not a change of the university’s name.
The former president of Ferdowsi University emphasized: All procedures related to this decision were carried out in 2020 (1399) during the twelfth government and had no connection to the thirteenth government or Martyr Ayatollah Raisi’s responsibilities.
A source close to Martyr Raisi’s government also told Fars that the documents and statements of the officials at the time indicate that the claim of Martyr Ayatollah Raisi’s involvement in preventing the installation of the Ferdowsi statue or changing the name of Ferdowsi University is incorrect and rooted in political maneuvering.
