Cultural heritage experts say part of Iran's famous Susa Castle has been destroyed due to environmental conditions and lack of protective measures.
Part of the castle's ceiling has been destroyed because of heavy showers and insufficient funds to restore the structure in time, CHN quoted deputy director of the Susa Cultural Heritage Lovers Society Loqman Ahmadzadeh as saying.
“The site is now closed to the public,” he added.
Unprofessional decisions and restorations have further endangered the site and heavy rain showers have caused water to seep into the castle's brick walls and destroy them from within, he said.
“A number of metal rain gutters have for instance been installed in the walls, which are only decorative and cannot function effectively,” Ahmadzadeh explained. “That is why excessive rain has weakened the upper part of the structure causing part of the ceiling to come down.”
According to Ahmadzadeh, the old window frames of the castle have been pulled out without being replaced with new ones. This has also helped rain infiltrate the building and weaken the upper parts of the structure.
The cultural heritage expert also warned that the whole building will be in grave danger if proper protective measures are not taken.
The mortar used in building the monument contains bran and can easily attract termites, he said.
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-Teppeh and Chogha Zanbil.
The castle boasts many inscriptions some of which are engraved on the monument's building blocks and are threatened by natural and environmental factors.
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 [February 19, 2011]