TEHRAN – Shahrab historical fortress in Ardestan county, central Isfahan Province, will undergo some rehabilitation works after it suffered damage from natural disasters some 60 years ago, a provincial tourism official has said.

The restoration project aims to repair and strengthen the fortress, which was damaged and destroyed by flood, drought, and the destruction of the gardens around it during the 1960s and 1970s, Mehdi Mashhadi said on Friday, CHTN reported.

The fortress, which is privately owned, was abandoned for years and gradually became a landfill for the villagers, the official added.

However, the owners removed the construction waste and rubbish from the area over the past few weeks, he noted.

He also mentioned that the historical monument is planned to turn into a tourist complex after the urgent restoration.

From ancient to modern times, defensive walls have often been necessary for cities to survive in an ever-changing world of invasion and conquest.

Fortresses were designed primarily to defend territories in warfare and were also used to solidify rule in a region during peacetime.

Many of the fortifications of the ancient world were built with mud brick, often leaving them no more than mounds of dirt for today’s archaeologists.

ABU/MG