TEHRAN--A pilot project has been implemented in Khosf county, South Khorasan province, with the aim of strengthening the role of the people in protection of the historical texture and revival of traditional restoration methods during current Iranian year.

This project showed that the support and cooperation of citizens can play a key role in the protection and restoration of the cultural heritage. 

According to Miras Aria, Ali Salehi, head of Khosf Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts Department said on Tuesday that within the framework of this project, Khosf Cultural Heritage Department was responsible for providing some of the required primary materials, and the restoration operations were carried out entirely by the owners of the buildings and with participation of the neighbors.

In addition to reducing the costs significantly, this process strengthened social solidarity, promoted a sense of public responsibility, and increased public awareness of the importance of preserving the historical texture, he pointed out.

He continued that in addition to protecting historical monuments, this successful experience shows that using the people's capacities and direct cooperation of citizens can be an effective model for sustainable development in the field of restoration and reconstruction of the historical structures.

Referring to the positive results of this project, Salehi said that the implementation of this project not only revived traditional restoration methods, but also helped to clarify the processes, reduce the costs, and increase efficiency in using financial resources, and it can be used as a model that can be generalized for other historical structures in the province.

He finally emphasized that public participation in protection of cultural heritage is the basis for sustainable cultural and social development, and the successful implementation of this project is an effective step in strengthening the role of the people in protecting the historical assets of Khosf.

Salehi noted that this project is still ongoing, and owners of buildings located in the registered historical texture who wish to take part in the first phase of restoration of roof of their buildings can register and follow up on their request by contacting Khosf Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts Department.

South Khorasan is an explorer’s delight – lots to discover yet barely another visitor to be found, even at the most important sights (despite a decent infrastructure of recently paved roads).

The region intersperses arid mountains and semi-deserts and is famed for saffron and barberries. But there’s also a wealth of old mud villages that seem to have been left almost complete, as though to tempt archaeologists.

For thousands of years, the ancient Silk Road passed through many empires, kingdoms, reigns, and societies. According to UNESCO, the Silk Road enriched the countries it passed through, transporting cultures, religions, languages, and of course material goods into societies across Europe, Asia and Africa, and uniting them all with a common thread of cultural heritage and plural identities.

KD