Heavy Rain Damages Parthian Bardneshandeh Temple

LONDON, 24 February 2006 (CAIS) -- Recent rainfalls in Masjed-Soleiman and Chaharmahal-Bakhtiari provinces have caused damage to historical monuments, Persian Service of ISNA reported.

Director of Masjed-Soleiman Cultural Heritage and Tourism Department, Mohammad Zarasvandi Alipour announced that recent rainfalls caused heavy damages to some sections of the Parthian temple at Bardneshandeh and the route leading to it.

"Some 80 percent of the Parthian temple had already been destroyed due to a number of reasons and only 20 percent remain standing," he said complaining that no measures have so far been taken to repair the ancient temple.

If this continues, there will be no sign of Bardneshandeh in the future, he warned. Meanwhile deputy head of the Chaharmahal-Bakhtiari provincial Cultural Heritage and Tourism Department's for protection and restoration affairs estimated the damages at over 800 million Rials and hoped that the provincial Governor General's Office and the Management and Planning Organization will allocate funds for emergency measures to save the monuments.

Noting that safeguarding cultural heritage is a national duty, he called on the people in the province to collaborate in protecting historical monuments throughout the province.