A joint effort involving Iranian and Italian experts to restore and protect the world-famous Pasargadae in Fars Province has so far resulted in the successful restoration of about a third of the columns in the site’s citadel.

Hamid Fadaei, director of the world heritage site, was quoted by Borna news agency as saying that nine out of the citadel’s 30 columns, which had severely eroded, were restored with the help of Italian professionals.

“At the moment, we’re focusing on repairing the sandstones which form the foundation of the citadel’s Great Hall,” he said. Located just outside of the historical city of Shiraz, Pasargadae served as the Achaemenid Empire’s capital under Cyrus the Great in 6th century BC. The site, which also hosts the tomb of Cyrus, was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2004 during the World Heritage Committee’s 28th session in Suzhou, China.

By Financial Tribune