An Overview of the Structural Changes and Damages to the Decorations of the Monument of Shah Abbas II in Qom

The tomb of Safavid Shah Abbas II is a 12-sided monument that has been built and decorated in the vicinity of the holy shrine of Hazrat Masumeh (PBUH) in 1077 AH. This glorious tomb have benefited from the unique architectural features of the golden age of the Safavid art. This monument with a height of approximately 12 meters is adorned with a variety of different decorations such as paintings on a stone plinth, plaster paintings, gilding and stone inscriptions to name but a few. All of these that belonged to the Safavid king, were located in close proximity to the holy shrine of Hazrat Masumeh (PBUH). It is the only one tomb out of four that the Safavid kings have built near the holy shrine of Hazrat Masumeh (PBUH). In terms of architecture and decoration, it is highly valuable. The need to preserve such valuable work is obvious. Observations and surveys shows various fundamental changes during the time. These changes, in some cases, such as the development of the shrine, were inevitable because of the numerous pilgrims; however their damaging impacts on the ornaments are seen clearly. The most important changes in decision-making for restoration and protection include moving walls and changing in exit and entrance doors, along with the changes in the roof of the building and blocking skylights and its ventilation openings. In historical monuments, architectural ornaments cannot be separated from the structure, and this coherence and Interweaving is more explicitly obvious in religious buildings. In the tomb of Shah Abbas II, the stones of the floor were removed and after reinforcement, were replaced by concrete and new stones. Consequently, in addition to replacing the stone plinth, the tombstone of Shah Abbas II that was carved with poems was destroyed completely; and today there is no trace of these. By moving the marbles of the plinth, some changes were made at the entrance of the tomb. These replacement caused cracks and fissures through integrated stone plinth and severe damage to its flowers and plant motifs. In past years, the 12 ventilation opening located at the top of the monument were blocked. This was in addition to damages to the decorations due to the natural increase of the relative humidity and temperature as well as chemical process. These openings were re-opened in the year 2014, along with the rest of skylights with new wooden frames. This again caused more damages to decorations on the plaster of the frames. The structural changes in the studied building are done without any consideration to protect or minimize the damage to decorations and murals. In line with the emphases of the relevant international community such as ICOMOS, this study confirms that the structural changes in the architectural decorations of a historical monuments such as moving walls, removal of some parts of the building or even usage will impose a direct impact and significant damages to architectural decorations. Therefore, the physical changes shall be performed with great considerations for the decorations.