Restoration of tomb of Cyrus underway
Several megaliths of the tomb have been dislocated over time, and the restoration project aims to put them in their proper positions in order to prevent water from seeping into the monument.
“Studies of the damage to the tomb were carried out last year, and the experts prepared a plan, which is currently being implemented,” Parseh and Pasargadae Research Foundation director Mohammad-Hassan Talebian said.
“(Iranian archaeologist Ali) Sami had restored the tomb with cement before the Islamic Revolution. Since stone discharges cement after a time, gaps emerge among the stones allowing rainfall to leak into the tomb. The new plan will resolve the problem forever,” he added.
“This year, we intend to focus on the restoration of the tomb of Cyrus and the Pasargadae complex, so this year is the year of Pasargadae,” Talebian noted.
The restoration work began with the ceiling and over ten experts will be working on this section by the end of the year. So far, three megaliths, each weighing more than two tons, have been fixed.
“The megaliths are being relocated according to the locations of the metal braces,” restoration team director Hassan Rahsaz explained, referring to the braces used in the construction of the tomb.
The tomb of Cyrus is located at the Pasargadae complex, which was added to UNESCO’s World Heritage List in July 2004.
About 19 kilometers away from Pasargadae, the Sivand Dam is scheduled to come on stream in late August, flooding some very significant ancient sites located in the Bolaghi Valley.
Archaeologists believe that the reservoir of the dam will raise humidity, and thus even the Pasargadae complex will also be at risk.
Pasargadae was the first dynastic capital of the Achaemenid Empire, northeast of Persepolis. Cyrus II the Great (reigned 559–c. 529 BC) chose the site because it lay near the scene of his victory over Astyages the Mede in 550 BC.