Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi – December 2, 1996

I woke up before the call to morning prayer and did not sleep again. I got the foreign and domestic news. I read the reports and saw today's program. At seven in the morning, we flew by helicopters from the Revolutionary Guards barracks toward Dasht-e Rum. We landed at the site of the Yasuj cement factory. Engineer Ravanparast, the project manager, gave a report. With a capacity of 700 tons per day, it is one of five projects that China has financed. I too spoke about the role of this factory in the province's economy and the progress of the cement industry in the country.

By car we went to the site of the rainbow trout fingerling production facility; it belongs to Construction Jihad. It has a production capacity of about five million fingerlings and eyed eggs. We saw the stages of egg extraction and fertilization with the sperm of the male fish and the eyeing of the eggs over eight days and their transformation into sac-bearing alevins and then into fingerlings, altogether in 50 days, which was interesting to me. Until today I did not know that the fertilization of fish eggs takes place outside the fish's body. They explained that they have a program to establish rainbow trout breeding centers, with a capacity of 100 thousand tons and with the creation of 30 thousand jobs, in the waters of the springs.

We also saw the handicrafts exhibition. After a slump of several months in the carpet situation, it has flourished again. After the explanations of Mr. Lahijianian, [Managing Director of the Iran Fisheries Company], I spoke about the importance of the rainbow trout breeding program.

Then we went to the site of the diversion barrage and irrigation network project of Dasht-e Rum, which has been built by the Ministry of Energy. For the development of more than 1,100 hectares of land, with drains and canals and pumping, at a cost of 600 million tomans, it is a good project. The people of the region's villages had gathered. I responded to their feelings. There Mr. Malek-Hosseini said that this place is called Dasht-e Rum because it was the camp of the Romans at the time of Alexander of Macedon's invasion, and added that Alexander was wounded in the Neka Gorge—between the second Marun Dam and Dehdasht—and went through this same plain, guided by a local traitor, to destroy Persepolis.

We flew toward Dehdasht, the capital of Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad Province. On the way, from the air we saw the works of the Charam Plain irrigation project with the explanations of the Governor-General and Mr. Malek-Hosseini. It is a good plain; they have good rice cultivation and citrus.

We landed beside the under-construction hospital of Dehdasht. A visit to the hospital and the inauguration of several development projects took place. Then we went to the people's gathering place. The welcome of a martyr's

daughter with a very good poem introducing Dehdasht and my services was very interesting. In the street, contrary to the program, there was an enthusiastic welcome, and at the same time a very large crowd was present in the stadium with remarkable passion and excitement.

At the people's gathering, Mr. [Hossein] Shar'i, the Friday Prayer Imam, offered his welcome with a poem describing me. [Seyyed Haji Mohammad Movahed], the town's representative, while offering his welcome and praising my services and the Revolution, raised the people's important requests. A choir of boys and girls sang a beautiful anthem of welcome and of the government's services. I too delivered an eloquent speech about the good qualities of the region and the people and gave a favorable answer to their requests, including the transfer of water to the 24-thousand-hectare plain and to Dehdasht, the establishment of a refractory cement factory, the continuation of the Behbahan–Dehdasht road to Pataveh, and the Shahreza–Yasuj road.

We went to inaugurate the nomads' boarding high school. At the school there was lunch and a rest. Mr. [Mir-Ahmad] Taqavi, the head of the town's seminary, came and raised the town's shortcomings and needs. Then, with the explanations of the Minister of Energy and the project manager, we went to inaugurate the electricity transmission line from Behbahan to Dehdasht, which it was arranged would be continued to Yasuj as well. Beside the power substation, the residents of the neighboring village [=the village of Sar Pari] gathered and, showing their buckets of water, demanded the provision of drinking water, and I ordered that it be expedited. It turned out that the project is being implemented by Construction Jihad and that beside the village a river from the Khairabad headwaters passes by. Then we flew toward the site of the construction of the Kowsar Dam on the Khairabad River.

At the gathering of those present, they gave explanations about the dam: with a height of 130 meters and a capacity of 45 million cubic meters of water, it is being built for the plains of Dogonbadan and Khuzestan. Explanations were also given about the Jam Dam; with a capacity of 1,600 million cubic meters of water for Bushehr and Khuzestan. I too spoke about the blessing and important development of these two dams—which together irrigate 100 thousand hectares and bring about a major transformation in the region.

Then we visited the site of the dam body, which is very interesting and novel. It is about 100 meters at the opening in a narrow valley and is being built with a new method. The speed of action with five openings working is admirable. It was arranged that they would examine the possibility of pumping from the dam lake to Basht and Dehdasht.

We flew to the town of Dogonbadan. The magnificence of the people's gathering was astonishing and their feelings even more remarkable. The Governor, the parliament representative, and the Deputy Minister of Oil for Gas gave explanations and offered their welcome. They raised requests. An interesting anthem was performed, and also a large group of girls had formed the shape of Iran's flag. The people gave passionate slogans. I too gave an encouraging speech and accepted the people's requests regarding the construction of a park and a petrochemical factory.

For the inauguration of the new buildings, we went to the site of the Gachsaran Islamic Azad University. At this ceremony, I heard the explanations of Dr. Jasebi, [President of the Islamic Azad University], and Dr. [Karim] Zare and the university president. They have seven thousand students in Gachsaran and Yasuj. They also performed a good anthem.

I said the sunset prayer there. To meet with a group of Basij members, we went to a mosque. They had welfare requests and gave a warm and very passionate welcome. Then we went to the province's development exhibition. They explained the province's important development projects, which are very many.

The head of the town's seminary came. He requested that we pay the cost of the school's gas connection. I told [Gholam-Reza Aghazadeh], the Oil Minister, that it should be done free of charge. Tonight I also inaugurated the project of the large square at the town's entrance and the 1.8-kilometer boulevard. The municipality has built it. We went and had dinner and went to the oil company's rest house. After bathing and writing my memoirs and studying the reports, I went to sleep.