TEHRAN – Fresh rounds of restoration work have been commenced on two historical fortresses, which are located in Sistan-Baluchestan province.

“The Safavid-era (1501–1736) Paskuh Fortress and historical castle of Kuhkan both located in the town of Sib-va-Suran (Sib and Suran) have undergone restoration,” a local tourism official said on Tuesday.  

A total budget of 1.2 billion rials ($28,500 at the official exchange rate of 42,000 rials per dollar) has been allocated to the projects, Abdolsalam Mohammadi said.  

The projects involve strengthening rooftops and walls using cob materials as well as repairing the damaged parts, the official added. 

Both historical structures have been inscribed on the national heritage list. 

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.

Sistan-Baluchestan was previously shunned by potential foreign and domestic travelers though it is home to several distinctive archaeological sites and natural attractions, including two UNESCO World Heritage sites, namely Shahr-e-Soukhteh (Burnt City) and Lut desert, parts of the latter is situated in Kerman province.

For mainstream Iranians, the name of Sistan-Baluchestan was conjuring up stories of drought, desiccated wetlands, and dust storms. On the international scale, foreigners may consider it reminiscent of the big red blot on the Iran safety map.

In ancient times, according to Encyclopedia Britannica, the Baluchistan region provided a land route to the Indus Valley and the Babylonian civilizations. The armies of Alexander the Great marched through Baluchistan in 326 BC on their way to the Hindu Kush and their return march in 325 experienced great hardships in the region’s barren wastes.

ABU/AFM