TEHRAN- The remnants of Belqeys citadel, the second-largest mudbrick fortress in Iran after the UNESCO-registered Bam citadel, are being restored to original texture, a local tourism official has said. 

The ruined citadel, which is sometimes referred to as Shahr-e Belqeys (“The city of Belqeys”) is located in northeastern North Khorasan province. It lies at a short distance from the city of Esfarayen.

A budget of three billion rials (about $72,000) has been allocated to the project, Hossein Rahmani announced on Wednesday. 

Remnants of the citadel, family lodgings, irrigation channels, a cistern, and a hypostyle hall are amongst objects so far been unearthed in Belqeys during rounds of excavation.

From ancient to modern times, defensive walls have often been necessary for cities to survive in an ever-changing world of invasion and conquest.

Fortresses were designed primarily to defend territories in warfare and were also used to solidify rule in a region during peacetime.

Many of the fortifications of the ancient world were built with mud brick, often leaving them no more than mounds of dirt for today’s archaeologists.

ABU/MG