Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi - November 10, 2001

Continuing his trip to Mashhad and visiting the projects of Astan Quds Razavi
Full text of the diary:
I woke up to the sound of the dawn prayers of the shrine's loudspeaker and I did not sleep anymore. We prayed and visited the leaven factory and read the reports, and then we went to the Chenaran area with Mr. [Ali] Karimi [Quddusi], the deputy of the Custodian of Astan Quds Razavi. The factory managers explained. Second-hand machinery, with a capacity of seven tons per day. The main bacteria are introduced and using beet molasses and vitamin supplements, in twelve hours, seven tons of yeast bacteria are multiplied to the size of a needlehead. They said that many bakeries prefer to use baking soda for fermentation and ignore the health and economic issues of the society and the Ministry of Commerce should force them. The factory is still loss-making, and with the capital of Astan al-Quds, five more factories have recently been built; the basis is from the construction government. I conducted an interview about sourdough and explained its importance in nutritional hygiene and prevention of bread waste.  
Then we went to the teaching hospital under construction [320 beds of Imam Reza (AS)]. With 40,000 square meters of infrastructure and 40 hectares of land in the good area of the city and about 15 billion tomans of building costs, we heard the explanations. It is doubtful that it would be expedient for Astan Quds to run the hospital for profit.

I went back to the headquarters. After the prayers, I attended the gathering of scholars who had been invited to lunch. I spoke briefly at their request about the situation in Afghanistan and the policy of the United States. After lunch, I rested for a while.  
At 3:30 p.m., we went to visit the Mashhad subway. They were members of the city council and the mayor. From the beginning to the end of the line, we traveled about 18 kilometers. 25% of the work has been done and they have a low-cost method. This year, they have not yet paid their credits. At their request, as the father of the subway in Iran and in Mashhad, I gave a short interview and encouraged.  
After the prayer, I went to the holy shrine for the dust-removal ceremony. We worked with Mr. [Vaez] Tabasi, Mr. [Seyyed Hashem] Rasouli Mahallati, and [Mehdi Ebadi], the Friday Imam of Mashhad, and Mr. [Seyyed Hassan] Mortazavi [Shahroudi], to remove the offerings and remove the dust. The companions and personalities of the city were present at the ceremony. Escorted by the officials and Mr. Tabasi, we flew to Tehran at 6:00 p.m. We have reached the second half of the Iran-Ireland football match: the Irish, 2-0, are ahead.