TEHRAN – Two prehistoric gateways leading to royal palaces in Pasargadae, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in southern Iran, will soon be equipped with custom-made roofing covers.

The two gates bear meticulous bas-relief carvings, Mehr quoted Hamid Fadaei who presides over the historical site, as saying on Friday.

It is part of an extended project that follows better protection for Pasargadae structures in Fars Province, the shielding structures will be made in Italy by the means of stainless steel and anti-rust materials and then will be transferred to the country to be installed, Fadaei explained.

The scheme is based on a three-year memorandum of understanding that Iranian cultural heritage body has signed with the Rome-based International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property.

The MoU will expire by the end of 2017, but Fadaei expressed hope that Iran will extend it to maintain renovations in Pasargadae.

Situated in about 50km north of Persepolis, itself a World Heritage, Pasargadae was the capital of the Achaemenid Empire under Cyrus the Great who reigned mighty Persian Empire from 559 to 530 BC.

PHOTO: People visit tomb of Cyrus the Great in Pasargadae

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