In 13 84 A. H. (1964 A. D.), Qanber Rahimi, an Iranian merchant, funded the making of marble columns for the frontal gallery of al-hadra which is best known as iwan al-Dahab (Golden Gallery).
In 1974 A. D., these columns were installed to replace the old wooden ones, which were partially decayed by the effects of humidity.
This replacement has resulted in the loss of a beautiful and original part of the artistic features of the holy shrine of Imam Hussein (A. S.).
In 1980, work was completed in removing all the exterior buildings adjoining the open courtyard (sahan) of the shrine (rawdha) of Imam Hussain (A. S.) and also a 10.5 metre high external wall was constructed on the perimeter of the courtyard with entrances, each having a gate, spread in all directions
Source:
- Holy Shrines of Karbala: By Raouf Mohamed Ali Al-Ansari
[Pg. 126- 127].
