TEHRAN – South Khorasan’s cultural heritage directorate has announced plans to complete the restoration of Khan-e Mirza Jafar, a 19th-century traditional house located in Khosf of the eastern Iranian province.The project involves strengthening the mudbrick infrastructure, renewing stuccowork and other traditional decorations of the house, which has three iwans (porticoes), a local tourism official said on Tuesday.An old watermill located in the basement and cob material of the exterior walls are other elements to undergo restoration, the official said.Of the main characteristics of this historic house is its wind-catcher, intricate plasterwork, and delicately decorated alcove, the official said.Some experts believe the historical texture of Khusf, which was once situated on the ancient Silk Road, is capable of becoming a UNESCO World Heritage site.“The historical texture of Khusf is a noteworthy property, and it is capable of being registered as a World Heritage site,” Mohammad-Hassan Talebian, who is a senior archaeologist has said.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.AFM