TEHRAN -- A plaster company recently resumed blasting operations near the Sassanid era Da va Dokhtar Castle in Ramhormoz, Khuzestan Province.

The process had been halted by the Ramhormoz Judiciary Department last May due to a complaint by the Ramhormoz Cultural Heritage and Tourism Office (RCHTO). The company had been conducting such operations at the site for 30 years.

RCHTO experts believe that the frequent blasts are the main reason for the damage to the Da va Dokhtar Castle.

“We had previously reached an agreement with the managers of the plaster company to settle the problem out of court. They also agreed to stop blasting operations and compensate the RCHTO for the damage to the castle, but we have recently been informed that the company has resumed the process,” RCHTO director Fereidun Bigdeli told the Persian service of CHN on Tuesday.

“The officials of the company believe that the blasting operations have no negative effect on the castle, although the sound of the blasts is heard for 15 kilometers and the castle is located only a few hundred meters away from the location of the blasts,” he added.

“The Ramhormoz public prosecutor had previously visited the site and asked the company’s officials to halt the operations until the court announces its decision. But the appeal was verbal, so they didn’t take it seriously,” Bigdeli explained.

The castle consisted of two parts, one of which is totally destroyed. A wall four meters in height connected the two sections together. Thirty watchtowers mounted the wall, but only a few remain.

The castle is similar to the Roman castles built on the Mediterranean coast. It was used by rebels during the Umayyad and Abbasid dynasties.