TEHRAN – A medium-sized 4.9 magnitude earthquake that struck Salehabad city in western province of Ilam on Wednesday caused no damage to historical sites across the province.

Based on field visits by experts of the province’s Cultural Heritage, Tourism, and Handicrafts Department, no serious damage to historical relics and monuments has been reported, provincial tourism chief Abdolmalek Shanbehzadeh announced on Saturday, CHTN reported.

Due to the possible occurrence of aftershocks, experts are on standby to inspect the possible harms to historical sites of the province, he added. 

The name "Ilam" comes from "Elam", the pre-historic civilization that ruled the area in modern southwest Iran from 2700 BC to 539 BC. Archaeological findings dates human settlement of the area to around 5000 BC.

ABU/MG