Floods threaten Iran’s ancient sites

Some of Iran’s age-old cultural heritage sites have been reportedly damaged as a result of heavy rainfall and extreme weather during recent days.

Naqsh-e Rustam is an ancient necropolis located northwest of Persepolis, in Fars Province, Iran, with a group of ancient
Iranian rock reliefs cut into the cliff, from both the Achaemenid and Sassanid periods [Credit: IRNA]

Reports from Iran say some ancient monuments have also been affected by floods in various parts of Iran.

Mohamad Hossein Talebian, deputy chairman of Iran’s Cultural Heritage Organization (CHO), told reporters on Wednesday March 27 “cracks on the ancient reliefs in Naqsh-I Rustam in Fars province are widening in a critical way.”

Naqsh-I Rustam, six kilometres from the Persepolis, is an ancient site that includes several monuments including the tombs of four of ancient Persian Achaemenid kings who reigned in the Persian empire from 550-330 BC.

Social media reports from the area say a waterfall made by the floods is washing away parts of the monument.

Source: Radio Farda [March 28, 2019]

TANN

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