TEHRAN -- The director of the Izeh Cultural Heritage Lovers Society has asked Khuzestan cultural officials to pay more attention to historical and ancient sites near Izeh city in southern Iran’s Khuzestan Province.

Faramarz Khoshab appealed in writing to the director of the Khuzestan Cultural Heritage, Tourism, and Handicrafts Department (KCHTHD), Sadeq Mohammadi, the Persian service of CHN reported on Saturday.

The Taq Tavileh Castle, Tarisha Temple, and the bas-reliefs of Kul-Farah and Khong Ajdar are being threatened by vandals and natural environmental factors.

Some parts of the Taq Tavileh Castle have fallen into ruin because of the failure to provide essential buttresses and inappropriate restoration work, Khoshab said.

Rainwater has entered the monument due to the lack of proper roofing, he added.

Last September, vandals poured paint on the bas-reliefs of the Elamite Tarisha Temple, and recently graffiti have been written on the Elamite Kul-Farah bas-relief.

In addition, the bas-relief of Khong Ajdar has been damaged by children throwing stones.

The sites have only one guard during the day and they are left unguarded at night, Khoshab explained.