Tolga Akbaba
28 March 2019•Update: 28 March 2019
ANKARA
Historical artifacts and sites in Iran were damaged in floods that left 27 dead and 19 others injured, an Iranian culture official said Thursday.
“Historical remains were damaged in the Mazandaran, Khuzestan, Kurdistan, Fars, Sistan and Baluchestan, Hormozgan, West Azerbaijan provinces and Golestan provinces,” Mohammad Hassan Talebian, deputy head of the Iranian Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization, told Iran's ISNA news agency.
Talebian said the situation in the ancient necropolis of Naqsh-e Rustam in Fars, southwestern Iran is alarming, with cracks in the structures clearly visible.
“The Vakil Bath and Bazaar in Shiraz were also flooded but the water was drained out,” he said.
The White Bridge in Golestan, northeastern Iran was also affected by the flood, Talebian added.
Talebian said the Gonbad-e Qabus tower, built in 1006 and a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2012, was left wet by the flood.
Talebian underscored that Takht-e Jamshid, also known as Persepolis, capital city of the old Persian Empire, was not affected.
Iranian officials announced Wednesday that the floods caused financial losses of nearly $170 million in five cities.
According to Mortaza Salemi, head of the Iranian Red Crescent, humanitarian assistance has been delivered to more than 43,000 people in 293 affected cities and villages.
