TEHRAN – Reinforcement works are being carried out on parts of a hill where the Sassanid era (224-651) fortress of Qale Falak-ol-Aflak is situated.

The project is being carried out for the better preservation and maintenance of the fortress, which is located in Khorramabad, the capital of western Lorestan province, the provincial tourism chief has said. 

A budget of 2.5 billion rials ($5,000) has been allocated to the project, Atta Hassanpur explained on Friday. 

To safeguard the historical bed of the hill and the castle building, as well as prevent hill erosion and collapse, the project is being carried out using traditional materials and stone, the official added. 

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

It seems particularly imposing and dramatic when floodlit at night, offering picturesque views of its encircling crenelated battlements.

The Sassanid era is of very high importance in Iranian history, under which Persian art and architecture experienced a general renaissance.

Soaked in history and culture, Lorestan is one of the lesser-known travel destinations in Iran, which mainly acts as a gateway to the sweltering plains below in adjoining Khuzestan province. Lorestan is also a region of raw beauty that an avid nature lover could spend weeks exploring.

The region was inhabited by Iranian Indo-European peoples, including the Medes, c. 1000 BC. Cimmerians and Scythians intermittently ruled the region from about 700 to 625 BC.

Lorestan was incorporated into the growing Achaemenid Empire in about 540 BC and successively was part of the Seleucid, Parthian, and Sassanid dynasties.

ABU/AM