TEHRAN – Parts of Isfahan's Ghamishloo National Park, which is said to be the oldest national park in the world, require restoration, a local tourism official has said.

Parts of the park and the Qajar-era (1789–1925) castle inside it need to undergo some rehabilitation works, Mohsen Mazaheri said on Friday.

A budget of 200 billion rials ($670,000) is needed for the restoration project, the official added.

The restoration of the castle has been divided into several stages, of which only a few initial stages have been implemented due to budget restrictions, and to complete the next stages, private investors need to be involved, he explained.

The grandma of all national parks in the world, Ghamishloo National Park, lies near Isfahan and is about 83,000 hectares. Mostly cold-dry climate with high lands and pasture lands. Iranian gazelle and sheep herds could be seen in the area.

Unfortunately, the water supply is only dependent on rainfall, which is not that enough that the local species can grow a lot in numbers. But they are tough enough to survive for now.

ABU/AFM