TEHRAN – Segments of Pol-e Kalhor, a ruined arch bridge in Lorestan province, western Iran, have undergone restoration, CHTN reported.  

“1,800 million rials (some $42,000 at the official exchange rate of 42,000 rials per dollar) has been allocated to the restoration project, which is underway according to international standards,” the provincial tourism chief, Seyyed Amin Qasemi, said on Thursday.

Kalhor bridge crosses the Kashkan river in Mamulan district. The monument was originally constructed during the Achaemenid era (c. 550-330 BC) and was extensively renovated during the time of Sassanids (224 CE-​651) to connect the two then capitals of Ecbatana and Susa.

Lorestan is also a region of raw beauty that an avid nature lover could spend weeks exploring. The region was inhabited by Iranian Indo-European peoples, including the Medes, c. 1000 BC. Cimmerians and Scythians intermittently ruled the region from about 700 to 625 BC.

The Luristan Bronzes noted for their eclectic array of Assyrian, Babylonian, and Iranian artistic motifs, date from this turbulent period. Lorestan was incorporated into the growing Achaemenid Empire in about 540 BC and successively was part of the Seleucid, Parthian, and Sasanid dynasties.

AFM