400 years old and classified as a World Heritage Site by Unesco, the royal mosque of Isfahan in Iran was damaged during a restoration operation, announced the local authorities.
"
The restorers (of the Shah's mosque) have noticed a deformation especially in the upper part of the dome
" of the mosque, said the head of Isfahan Heritage, Alireza Izadi, quoted by the government site.
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According to experts quoted in local media, the designs of the flowers on the restored tiles do not match each other.
And the patterns on the dome are not aligned.
“
We are going to replace the dome tiles because the weight of the scaffolding has damaged their edges
,” Alireza Izadi told the official Irna agency.
"
The contractor of the project, who is one of the veterans of restoration in Isfahan, said he was ready to take the necessary measures to repair the defects as soon as possible
", assured the head of Isfahan Heritage. .
The restorer admits his mistakes
Interviewed by Iranian state television, project restorer Mehdi Pakdel admitted "
his mistakes
".
“
Various pressures for the rapid removal of scaffolding as well as working at 54 meters height without equipment partly explain this,
” said the craftsman, adding that his “
work was not yet finished
”.
The Shah Mosque ("
Royal
" in Persian) was built during the golden age of Isfahan, at the beginning of the 17th century.
It is one of the four buildings forming the huge Naghsh-e Jahan square in the heart of the city.
In 1979, Unesco classified the whole site as a World Heritage Site.
The royal mosque is located in a “
homogeneous urban ensemble built according to a single and harmonious plan
” had estimated the international organization.
Third city of the country, Isfahan is one of the main tourist destinations of Iran.
The city was the capital of Persia under the rule of the Safavids in the 17th century.
Restoration work on the Royal Mosque began in 2010.