TEHRAN—A restoration project is planned to be commenced on a UNESCO-registered Sassanid palace in Sarvestan, Fars province to prepare it for public visit, the provincial tourism chief has said.

The project will involve landscaping, strengthening the structure, repairing its dome, and removing moisture from the foundation, Seyyed Moayyed Mohsen-Nejad explained on Tuesday.

The project aims to prepare the palace for public visits, the official added.

It is, however, necessary to promote and introduce the palace as a tourist destination, he noted.

Located about 70 km to the southeast of Shiraz and very close to the city of Sarvestan, this monument is one of the most significant constructions of ancient Iran in that it displays an array of both pre-Islamic and Islamic architectural features.

The monument, along with several counterparts, is altogether inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list under the name “Sassanid Archaeological Landscape of Fars Region.”

The ensemble embodies political, historical, cultural, and artistic developments of the mighty Sasanian Empire (224–651), which was a leading world power alongside its neighboring arch-rival the Roman-Byzantine Empire.

It comprises eight archaeological sites situated in three geographical parts of Firuzabad, Bishapur, and Sarvestan. It reflects the optimized utilization of natural topography and bears witness to the influence of Achaemenid and Parthian cultural traditions and of Roman art, which later had a significant impact on the architecture and artistic styles of the Islamic era.

The Sassanid era is of very high importance in the history of Iran. Under Sassanids, Persian art and architecture experienced a general renaissance.

Architecture often took grandiose proportions, such as palaces at Ctesiphon, Firuzabad, and Sarvestan, which are amongst the highlights of the ensemble.

ABU/AM