TEHRAN – A restoration project to reinforce the Sadi mausoleum, where the 13th-century illustrious Persian poet is laid to rest, is about 70 percent complete.

“So far, about 70% of the restoration of Sadi mausoleum has been completed and the project is expected to finish within a month,” Fars province’s deputy tourism chief said on Saturday.

“Since the 60s, due to the passage of time, damages such as wear and tear have been caused in the architecture of the building, which necessitated the need for restoration in this mausoleum,” the official explained.

The project is carried out by experienced restorers of the UNESCO-registered Persepolis, the official added.

A government budget of 11 billion rials ($22,000) has been allocated to the restoration project, according to Fars province’s tourism chief. The project involves damaged parts such as the mausoleum’s dome as well as strengthening the whole structure, Seyyed Moayyed Mohsen-Nejad added.

Set amid generous gardens of evergreens, bitter orange, and roses, the mausoleum is one of Shiraz’s several shrines, housed in an open-sided colonnade built during the Pahlavi era. The tomb is easily reached from the shrine of a fellow poet, Hafez (1325–1390).

Musharraf ad-Din ibn Muslih ad-Din, known as Sadi, is one of the greatest figures in classical Persian literature. His best-known works are the Bustan (1257; The Orchard) and the Gulistan (1258; The Rose Garden).

The Bustan is entirely in verse and consists of stories aptly illustrating the standard virtues recommended to Muslims – justice, liberality, modesty, and contentment – as well as reflections on the behavior of dervishes and their ecstatic practices. The Gulistan is mainly in prose and contains stories and personal anecdotes. The text is interspersed with a variety of short poems, containing aphorisms, advice, and humorous reflections.

AFM