TEHRAN – Historical Nasouri fortress in Siraf, southwestern Bushehr province, is scheduled to undergo rehabilitation works in the near future, the deputy provincial tourism chief has said. Some restoration works are planned to be commenced on the historical fortification and are estimated to be completed by the end of the current Iranian calendar year 1401(March 2023), Nasrollah Ebrahimi explained on Tuesday. A budget of 15 billion rials ($50,000) will be allocated to the project, which involves flooring, plastering, and repairing the wooden windows, the official added. Located on the north shore of the Persian Gulf, Siraf was Iran’s most important port from the Sassanid period to the 4th century AH.

It bears plentiful evidence of Persian mastership and genius in seafaring, international relations, and interaction with other near and far cultures and civilizations.Between 1966 and 1973, the British Institute of Persian Studies conducted seven seasons of excavation and survey at Siraf, which was a major city on the Iranian shore of the Persian Gulf that played a leading role in the network of maritime trade that supplied Western Asia with the products of India, the Far East, and Eastern Africa between 800 CE and 1050.The ancient port city had a population of about 300,000 during the early Islamic era and this fact shows that it was a large city.

However, today, just about 7,000 people live in Siraf in a small area.ABU/AFM