Donors support protection of historic castle in northern Iran
Iranian cultural heritage donors have provided 30 billion rials (over $11,000) to define the boundaries and protected zone of Morvarid Castle in Gorgan city in northern Iran.
“The project was carried out in cooperation with the Golestan Province’s Department of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts and funded by the Association of Cultural Heritage Benefactors,” Deputy Heritage Minister Ali Darabi told IRNA on Sunday.
The allocation for the project in the Iranian Persian calendar year 1404 (which ran from March 21, 2025, to March 20, 2026) amounted to 30 billion rials, he announced.
The project involved aerial imaging of Morvarid Castle using a fixed-wing drone to produce digital maps and establish the site’s boundaries and protected zone, Darabi said.
Defining a historic site’s boundaries helps identify the area occupied by the monument and the surrounding zone needed for its protection.
Darabi said the Association of Cultural Heritage Benefactors had supported projects in other provinces of the country, namely Ilam (western Iran), Sistan and Baluchestan (southeastern Iran), Qazvin (central Iran) and Golestan (northern Iran).
He said the association’s involvement in preservation projects helps create opportunities for private donors to contribute to protecting Iran’s historical sites.
The initiative highlights the role of non-governmental funding in documenting and protecting cultural heritage.