TEHRAN -- The plaster company that had been conducting blasting operations near the Sassanid era Da va Dokhtar Castle in Ramhormoz, Khuzestan Province has halted the process, the Persian service of CHN reported on Saturday.

In response to a complaint by the Ramhormoz Cultural Heritage and Tourism Office (RCHTO), Ramhormoz Judiciary Department officials recently visited the company headquarters and forced it to halt the blasting operations, which it had been conducting for 30 years.

RCHTO managing director Fardin Bigdeli said that the Sassanid era castle employed Roman-style architecture.

The historical castle is located five kilometers north of Ramhormoz, on the slope of a limestone mountain.

The Ramhormoz Governor’s Office is very interested in safeguarding the historical monuments of the region and has asked the plaster company to make use of modern mining methods, Bigdeli added.

“The castle consisted of two parts, one of which is totally destroyed. A four-meter tall wall connected the two sections together. There were thirty guard stations inside the wall, only a few of which remain,” he explained.

The company had previously stated that the blasting operations were being conducted far away from the historic castle, but during the judicial officials’ visit, it became clear that the blasting operations were being conducted only 400 meters away from the castle.

“A legal complaint has been filed seeking damages, and if the company pays compensation, we will renovate the destroyed sections (of the castle),” Bigdeli said in conclusion.