TEHRAN - A total of 11 historical monuments and aging structures across Torbat-e Heydarieh and Zaveh county, northeastern Khorasan Razavi province has undergone urgent restoration during the first half of the current Iranian calendar year 1400 (started March 21), a local tourism official has said.

The projects have been carried out in collaboration with the private, the Endowments and Charity Affairs Organization, and related municipalities, Ali Mohammadi announced on Saturday.

Historical caravanserais, tombs, and mansions were among the restored structures, the official added.

So far 450 historical structures have been identified in Torbat-e Heydarieh and Zaveh county -located 180 kilometers to the provincial capital of Mashhad- of which 80 properties have been inscribed on the National Heritage list.

Over the past couple of years, Torbat-e Heydarieh and its surroundings have yielded traces of the ancient settlements. Last year, an archaeological site was exposed on the outskirts of Torbat-e Heydarieh after torrential rains washed the soil away. The site was accessed to date back to the early and middle Islamic eras, according to preliminary studies carried out by the cultural heritage experts.

According to archaeological studies, Torbat-e Heydarieh is home to several historical caves due to its favorable habitat conditions and traces of habitation from about 40,000 years have been identified in the caves of the region. The history of the area stretches back to the Achaemenian Empire from the 6th to 4th century BC and the Parthian Empire from the 3rd century BC to the 3rd century CE.

ABU/AFM