۷Berkeh: Felicity, happiness, bliss, salvation. These are some of the English equivalents of the word “sa’adat” in Farsi; and all of them apply to the memory of a lady whose house is going to be one of the first cultural and touristic centers in Gerash. Abdolkarim Sa’adat, the owner of the beautiful and historical Sa’adat House, has started its restoration and pays for all the expenses.
Mr. Sa’adat is a successful real estate manager living in London from 36 years ago. He said in an interview: “I bought this house 17 years ago from my father. A few years later my mother passed away, and I always intended to do a charity work for my mother in this house without any intention of personal gain for myself.”
Mr. Sa’adat had to choose between various futures for the house, from demolishing it and building a clinic in its place, to turning it into a bazar in the form of the old bazar that was near it many years ago. But the consultations of the cultural heritage lovers, not least his younger brother Mehdi, helped him make his mind: “I’m aspiring for an impressive project such as a beautiful tourist residence, a traditional restaurant and a museum, that would become a monument for my city.”
Mehdi Sa’adat, the owner’s brother and representative, believes that “Khuna Kadim” (Old House) program which was held in this house two years ago was effective in this decision. In this program, the house was renovated for public display in Nowrouz. “Abdolkarim was very pleased to see the house in that state and decided on the spot to keep it that way” says Mehdi.
Gholamreza Armanmehr, architect and president of ICOMOS Society in Gerash, has started the restoration of the house a few weeks ago. He believes that “Sa’adat House is one of the few superior houses in Gerash, if not the most superior one. It is the prototypical Qajari house in Gerash and has all the elements that we wish for in these houses. It also has a lot of stories to tell about the historical events in Gerash which add to its historical and social value.”
According to Armanmehr, the restoration phase is planned to be finished in 18 months, in the course of which the plans for the resuscitation phase will also be carried out: “We have planned for various utilizations for different parts of this house which will eventually turn it into a cultural and touristic center.”
Some words and phrases in this news story:
cultural and touristic center: مجتمع فرهنگی توریستی
restoration: مرمت
real estate manager: مدیر دفتر املاک
charity work: کار خیریه
cultural heritage lovers: دوستداران میراث فرهنگی
tourist residence: اقامتگاه توریستی
traditional restaurant: رستوران سنتی
