TEHRAN The head of Shahroud's Cultural Heritage Department Hamid Abolfazli said on Monday that a part of the historical Bastam Fortress which was devastated by floods during the past years, was renovated. The ancient fortress dates back to the Safavid Dynasty.
Abolfazli underlined that the fortress was used to protect the northern city of Shahroud from the enemies' attacks.
He said that the exact time of the construction of the fortress has not yet been determined, adding that it was probably built some 600 to 700 years ago.
Abolfazli stressed that the fortress consists of 10 little towers, adding that it is administered by the provincial Cultural Heritage Department of Shahroud.
The head of Shahroud's Cultural Heritage Department underlined that some 30 meters of the fortress has so far been renovated and that the height of some devastated parts of the fortress has been increased.
He stressed that the Cultural Heritage Organization has allocated nine million rials for the renovation operation on Bastam Fortress.
The historical city of Bastam is located six kilometers north of Shahroud. It contains several ancient monuments including the mausoleum of Imamzadeh Mohammad (AS), the tomb of Bayazid Bastami, Jame' Mosque, Shahrokhieh School and several other monuments.