TEHRAN – The historic Shebeli Tower in Damavand is set to undergo restoration, a local tourism official said on Saturday.

Ali Afzali, director of the Damavand Cultural Heritage Office, announced that a restoration is planned for Shebeli following recent assessments and contractor selection for the dome, walls, basement, and surrounding areas.

Afzali also stated that there are 160 registered historical sites within Damavand county, of which 82 are nationally registered. These sites include houses, castles, mounds, archaeological sites, ancient trees, baths, mosques, and monuments such as the centuries-old Shebeli Tower.

He described Shebeli Tower as a unique monument in Iran with distinct architecture and a masonry technique known as “free-stone” construction. The tower was officially registered as a national heritage site in 1972.

The tower is an octagonal, roofed tomb approximately 10 meters tall, dedicated to Abu Bakr al-Shibli, a 4th and 5th-century Sufi mystic and former governor of Damavand. It features a basement (sardab) beneath the main structure. The monument is a remnant of the Samanid era and is architecturally similar to historic structures found in Bukhara.

Afzali said once the restoration and landscaping are completed, Shebeli Tower will serve as a cultural center and hub for handicraft activities and cultural programs in the county.

AM