TEHRAN - A new round of restoration projects has been commenced on wind towers in the historical texture of the village of Laft on Qeshm Island.

The project aims at restoring four centuries-old wind towers (badgirs), which are reminiscent of innovative Persian architecture in oasis towns or scorching places, the provincial tourism chief has said. 

A budget of three billion rials ($71,400 at the official exchange rate of 42,000 rials per dollar) has been allocated to the project, Sohrab Banavand announced on Monday. 

Laft was registered on the national heritage list in 2006.

Perched on a rocky slope in the Persian Gulf, the fishing village offers its visitors a patchwork of delightfully photogenic scenes minarets, and badgirs which once were an essential element for the residential structures as an air-conditioning system.

Qeshm Island embraces a wide range of ecotourism attractions such as the Hara marine forests and about 60 villages dotted mostly across its rocky coastlines. The island has an abundance of wildlife, including birds, reptiles, dolphins, and turtles as well.

Known as the province of islands, Hormozgan province is located on the northern coasts of the Persian Gulf. It embraces scenic islands among which Kish, Hormuz, Hengam, and Qeshm are the most beautiful ones and top tourist destinations in southern Iran.

ABU/AFM