The dusty landscape and sparse trees in Tehran’s largest cemetery have served as a burial ground for many victims of Iran’s mass executions following the 1979 Islamic Revolution for numerous decades.
Currently, Lot 41 of Behesht-E Zahra Cemetery is being transformed into a parking lot, and any remnants of those buried there are likely being paved over.
Satellite images from Planet Labs PBC depict construction taking place on the site where many dissenters from the early Islamic theocracy were hastily buried, often following execution by hanging or other means.
Officials have previously monitored this area with surveillance cameras, referring to it as the “burned section.” There have been state-sponsored demolitions aimed at erasing any opposition symbols, including the destruction of tomb markers.
While Iranian officials have acknowledged plans to build a parking lot, they have not offered details about those interred in the area.
In 2024, a UN Special Rapporteur commented that the destruction of cemeteries in Iran appears to be a strategy to “conceal or erase data that serves as potential evidence” against the government regarding its past actions.
Shahin Nasiri, a University of Amsterdam lecturer who has studied Lot 41, noted that many gravestones there had been well-maintained, and the trees were intentionally allowed to wither. He remarked that turning this part of the cemetery into a parking lot represents a grim continuation of past actions.
Last week, the vice mayor of Tehran and the manager of the cemetery confirmed the creation of a parking lot at that location.
“This spot has been unchanged for many years, where early revolutionaries were buried,” said Davood Goudarzi, Tehran’s deputy mayor, to reporters on state TV. “We were given permission to reorganize the area because of the need for parking. The work is progressing carefully and intelligently.”
Satellite image shows the structure
Satellite images suggest that significant work began in early August, with photos from August 18 indicating that about half of Lot 41 had been paved, although construction materials remained on-site.
Asphalt paths and piles of debris signal that more work is anticipated.
The reformist publication Sharg quoted Mohammad Javad Tajik, who said that the parking lot would facilitate visits to adjacent sections.
Meanwhile, recent military actions have resulted in numerous casualties, including notable generals, with figures indicating over 1,060 deaths confirmed by government sources and more than 1,190 reported by activist groups.
Reusing this cemetery seems to violate Iran’s own regulations, which state that land can be repurposed only if the deceased’s family consents.
Mohsen Bolani, a prominent Iranian lawyer, criticized the decision to pave over the cemetery, arguing that it’s neither ethical nor legal. “This space held not just politically executed individuals, but also ordinary citizens,” he pointed out.
It’s unclear whether the human remains were left beneath the asphalt or if they were relocated by Iranian authorities.
In recent years, Iran has also demolished other cemeteries associated with victims of the 1988 mass executions and has targeted burial sites of the Bahá’í community as well as places where protesters from various movements have been laid to rest.
Hadi Gaemi, executive director of the Iranian Human Rights Centre based in New York, noted there’s a direct link between the brutalities of the 1980s and the violence inflicted upon protesters in recent years.
The giant cemetery is the final resting place for many people
Behesht-e Zahra, or “The Paradise of Zahra,” was established in 1970 on the outskirts of Tehran.
The cemetery became necessary as the population of Tehran exploded in the wake of oil wealth under the Shah, resulting in a demand for more burial space.
This cemetery has since become the final resting place of many notable Iranians.
Upon returning to Iran in 1979 after his exile, Grand Ayatollah Ruhola Khomeini visited the cemetery first.
The Clergy Court under Khomeini issued death sentences for many buried in Lot 41. Following his death in 1989, a grand mausoleum was constructed at the cemetery, further expanding its bounds.
Nasiri estimates that Lot 41 could contain between 5,000 to 7,000 burial sites belonging to individuals deemed religiously or politically deviant, including various dissidents.
“Numerous family members of victims are still on a quest for their loved ones’ graves,” he remarked. “They yearn for justice and seek to hold those responsible accountable. The destruction of these burial sites only complicates their pursuit of truth and historical justice.”
