In Tehran’s largest cemetery, Behesht-e Zahra, a patch of desert-like sand and dry trees has for decades been the hidden burial place of thousands executed after Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution. The site, known as Lot 41, is now being turned into a parking lot, likely covering the remains with asphalt.
Satellite images from Planet Labs PBC show construction work on the site. Many of those buried here were political prisoners and opponents of Iran’s new theocracy, killed by gunfire or hanging and buried quickly without ceremony. For years, Lot 41 has been under heavy surveillance, with cameras watching for anyone showing dissent or trying to honor the dead. Grave markers were previously destroyed, and trees in the area deliberately dried out. Officials have long called it the “scorched section.”
Iran Plans to Go Ahead With Plans Linked to Victims of 1979 Revolution
Iranian authorities recently confirmed the parking lot plan but gave no details about those buried there. Critics say the move is part of a wider effort to erase evidence of the mass killings. In 2024, a United Nations human rights expert said Iran’s destruction of cemeteries aimed to hide possible proof of crimes and avoid accountability.
“This decision is the final stage of erasing history,” said Shahin Nasiri, a University of Amsterdam lecturer who has studied Lot 41. “Most graves were already desecrated. Turning it into a parking lot shows the state’s intent to wipe out any trace.”
Tehran’s deputy mayor Davood Goudarzi said Lot 41 in Behesht-e Zahra cemetery was where “hypocrites of the early revolution” were buried and that the land had stayed untouched for years. Speaking on state TV, he explained that the city needed parking space and so authorities approved the plan. “The job is ongoing in a precise and smart way,” he said.
Experts Criticize Iranian Move
Satellite images show construction began in early August. By August 18, about half of Lot 41 was already paved, with asphalt piles, trucks, and other materials still visible, suggesting the work was continuing.
Mohammad Javad Tajik, who manages the cemetery, told the reformist newspaper Shargh that the new parking lot would serve visitors coming to a nearby section. Authorities are reportedly planning to bury those dead in Iran’s war with Israel in June there. That conflict saw Israeli airstrikes kill over 1,060 people, including senior Iranian generals, according to officials. An activist group put the number even higher, at more than 1,190.
The move to pave Lot 41 has drawn criticism. Iran’s own cemetery rules only allow land to be reused more than 30 years after burials, and only if the families of the dead agree. Mohsen Borhani, a lawyer, told Shargh the plan was “neither moral nor legal,” accusing authorities of ignoring both the law and basic human respect.
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