TEHRAN -- Yazd Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts Department (YCHTHD) reburied a historical bathhouse, which had been unearthed last year at the Amir Chakhmaq historical complex in Yazd.

The decision to rebury the bathhouse was made after YCHTHD officials found it disruptive to social activities, the Persian service of CHN reported on Friday.
“This historical bathhouse is located exactly in front of the Amir Chakhmaq Mosque and causes problems in people’s commutes,” YCHTHD deputy director Zatollah Nikzad said.
“So, the bathhouse was reburied until a plan is prepared to reroute the streets and alleys leading to the Amir Chakhmaq Mosque,” he added.
Asked why the plan had not previously been prepared, he said, “It was impossible at that time because the plan must be set up in agreement with other governmental organizations.”
The Amir Chakhmaq complex, which comprises a caravanserai, a bathhouse, a confectionary, a cold water well, a mosque, and a tekyeh (a place for seasonal Islamic ceremonies, was built around a square named after Amir Jalaleddin Chakhmaq, Timurid governor of Yazd, and his wife, Fatemeh Khatun, during the reign of the Timurid dynasty (15th–16th century CE).
“The bathhouse shows an amazing architecture, but it was buried for reasons unknown,” said Dariush Shahrzadi, an archaeologist who participated in the excavation of the monument.
“The bathhouse, now reburied with earth, could be considered as an additional complementary monument of the complex, which is one of Yazd’s major tourist attractions,” he noted.
Photo: Amir Chakhmaq Mosque