TEHRAN - A restoration and development project for the Sadi cultural-historical complex in Shiraz has commenced.

According to Mohammad Sabet-Eqlidi who presides over the tourism department of Fars province, the project is intended to enhance visitor amenities at the renowned complex, which houses the tomb of the revered Persian poet Sadi.

“The restoration includes repairs and improvements to the public restrooms located in the northwestern section of the complex,” he stated on Tuesday, emphasizing that these efforts are intended to ensure a more comfortable experience for tourists and visitors.

Sabet-Eqlidi also announced plans for the construction of a deep well to provide a sustainable water source for the green spaces of the site, which attracts numerous domestic and international tourists each year.

Set amid generous gardens of evergreens, bitter orange, and roses, the mausoleum is one of Shiraz’s several shrines, housed in an open-sided colonnade built during the Pahlavi era.

Musharraf ad-Din ibn Muslih ad-Din, known as Sadi, is one of the greatest figures in classical Persian literature. His best-known works are the Bustan (1257; The Orchard) and the Gulistan (1258; The Rose Garden).

The Bustan is entirely in verse and consists of stories aptly illustrating the standard virtues recommended to Muslims – justice, liberality, modesty, and contentment – as well as reflections on the behavior of dervishes and their ecstatic practices. The Gulistan is mainly in prose and contains stories and personal anecdotes. The text is interspersed with a variety of short poems, containing aphorisms, advice, and humorous reflections.

AM