TEHRAN – No serious damage was inflicted on historical sites across the southern Fars province as two medium-sized quakes struck the province earlier this week, provincial tourism chief has said.

The province was hit by two earthquakes of magnitude 5.1 and 5.7 on Tuesday. The quakes took place near Beyram in Larestan county, south of the province.  

A group of assessors and cultural heritage experts were dispatched to the southern parts of the province after the quakes to investigate possible damages, Mosayyeb Amiri said, CHTN reported on Friday. 

Investigations revealed some minor harm and cracks on Beyram Jame Mosque, Safieddin Mosque, Meymun Castle, Shah Zandu Holly Shrine, and Alipur and Azimi martyrs mansions, he added. 

The ancient region of Fars, also spelled Pars, or Persis, was the heart of the Achaemenian Empire (550–330 BC), which was founded by Cyrus the Great and had its capital at Pasargadae. Darius I the Great moved the capital to nearby Persepolis in the late 6th or early 5th century BC.

The capital city of Shiraz is home to some of the country’s most magnificent buildings and sights including Hafezieh (mausoleum of Hafez), the UNESCO-registered Persepolis, and Sadi mausoleum. Increasingly, it draws more and more foreign and domestic sightseers flocking into this provincial capital which was the literary capital of Persia during the Zand dynasty from 1751 to 1794.

ABU/MG