TEHRAN – The Sassanid-era Falak-ol-Aflak Fortress in Khorramabad, western province of Lorestan, which was damaged by an earthquake earlier this month, has undergone urgent rehabilitation works. 

The restoration work has completed on the fortress’s façade and outer cracks on the walls, provincial tourism chief Seyyed Amin Qassemi said on Friday, ISNA reported. 

The rest of the project and restoration of the internal damages will be done in the next two weeks, he added. 

He also noted that a budget of 3.5 billion rials (about $85,000) has been allocated to the restoration project. 

The centuries-old fortress was hit by an earthquake of magnitude 5.1. The quake was at a depth of 7 km and took place near the city of Firouzabad on May 6.

No serious damage was inflicted on the fortress, except for some cracks on the roof and walls, according to a group of assessors dispatched by the Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism, and Handicrafts.

Also known as Falak-ol-Aflak Castle, the unmissable eight-towered monument dominates the city as one of the most visited travel destinations in the region for both domestic and foreign sightseers.

In the past couple of years, the historic castle was faced with lots of problems that resolved in close cooperation of provincial officials by the means of both essential and urgent repair projects.

The fortress dates from the Sassanid era (224–651). It seems particularly imposing and dramatic when floodlit at night, offering picturesque views of its encircling crenellated battlements.

The Sassanid era (224 CE–651) is of very high importance in the Iranian history, under which Persian art and architecture experienced a general renaissance.

ABU/MG