TEHRAN– A team of experienced restorers and cultural heritage experts has commenced a restoration project on parts of the tilework on the entrance gate of the Atiq Mosque, which is considered the oldest mosque of Shiraz, in southern Fars province, the provincial tourism chief has said.

The project involves strengthening the work, removing the danger of falling tiles, reassembling the disassembled parts, and fixing the final result, Seyyed Moayyed Mohsen-Nejad explained on Tuesday.

About 60 percent of the tilework will be cleaned, while 40 percent, which was badly damaged, has been removed from its original places, the official added.

After cleaning, strengthening, and rebuilding the missing parts, the tilework will be reinstalled, he noted.

The 9th-century mosque was built during the reign of Yaqub Laith Saffari, the founder of the Saffarid Empire. There are some Shabestans (subterranean halls) and beautiful tilework on the ceilings of this building, which give it a unique charm. It is located in the east of the Shah-Cheraq shrine.

Celebrated as the heartland of Persian culture for over 2000 years, Shiraz has become synonymous with education, nightingales, poetry, and crafts skills passed down from generation to generation. It was one of the most important cities in the medieval Islamic world and was the Iranian capital during the Zand dynasty from 1751 to 1794.

Shiraz is home to some of the country’s most magnificent buildings and sights. Increasingly, it draws more and more foreign and domestic sightseers flocking to this provincial capital.

ABU/AM