Experts have warned about natural and environmental dangers threatening Iran's Susa Castle in the country's southwestern Khuzestan Province.
Erosion, heavy showers and strong winds have endangered the structure, the Khuzestan Cultural Heritage Lovers Society (Tariana) spokesman Mojtaba Gahestouni told Mehr News Agency.
The castle boasts many inscriptions some of which are engraved on building blocks of the monument and are threatened by natural and environmental factors.
“Lack of a strong foundation has caused cracks of various sizes in different part of the building,” said Gahestouni adding “mortar rounds and bombs that hit the surrounding area during the Iraq-Iran war also caused serious damages to the structure.”
He also said that unprofessional restoration projects conducted over the past few years have damaged the authentic look of the monument.
The Khuzestan Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts department began a restoration project in 2008 with the aim of replacing the castle's brick inscriptions.
The project did not last long due to objections raised by restoration experts of the Susa Cultural Heritage Center (SCHC), who said the replacement would damage the authenticity of the structure.
The center also said that it was trying to find an appropriate way to protect the inscriptions, but no new developments have been announced so far.
According to a report published in 2007, about 90,000 artifacts are kept in nonstandard conditions in the underground storerooms of the Susa Castle.
The relics belong to different eras of the ancient Persia and include artifacts discovered by French archaeologist Roman Ghirshman in the 1940s.
Located on a hill near the ancient city of Susa, the Susa Castle was built by French civil engineer, geologist and archaeologist Jacques Jean-Marie de Morgan (1857-1924), who carried out excavations in the region.
To build the monument, De Morgan used ancient bricks which had been scattered at nearby archeological sites such as Haft-Tappeh and Tchogha Zanbil.
The French government of the time agreed to sponsor the construction project to provide a safe place for De Morgan and his team during their stay.
The construction of the castle which began in 1897 was finished under the supervision of Iranian architect Mostafa Dezfouli in 1912.
Source: Press TV [December 28, 2010]