TEHRAN -- Iranian experts are currently testing pieces of stones from Pasargadae to collect information for restorations on the first dynastic capital of the Achaemenid Empire, which is also home to the tomb of Cyrus the Great.

“The column bases of the Cyrus palace made of black stones have seriously been damaged over time,” Pasargadae World Heritage Center Director Hamid Fadai told the Persian service of MNA on Saturday.

“We need to conduct extensive tests on the stones in order to take the necessary action for restoration and preservation of the site,” he added.

He said that severing small pieces of stone from Pasargadae for the experimental studies does not cause damage to the site.

The experimental studies are being carried out in a laboratory and workshop, which was established at the site on June 10 of this year with the help of group of Italian experts.

Italian Ambassador Mauro Conciatori and the deputy director of Iran’s Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts Organization (CHTHO), Mohammad-Hassan Talibian, also attend the inauguration ceremony of the laboratory and workshop.

Located in the southern Iranian province of Fars, Pasargadae was registered on UNESCO’s World Heritage List in 2004.

Experts criticized some restorations carried out on Cyrus Tomb by an Iranian team in 2008. They said that the authentic character of the tomb of Cyrus the Great was seriously compromised during “the inept restoration project.”

The restoration project had been scheduled to be carried out by a team of Italian experts according to an agreement signed between CHTHO and Italy.

However, an Iranian group was substituted for the Italian team after a new administration came to CHTHO under former president Mahmud Ahmadinejad.

Photo: This file photo shows the tomb of Cyrus the Great in Pasargadae. (CHN)

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