Yazd Restoration Schemes Await Funds

The allocation of about 20 billion rials ($480,000) for the restoration of buildings within Yazd's historical texture is expected by the end of the current fiscal year on March 20, 2018, a provincial cultural heritage official said.  According Sasha Riahi Moqaddam, cultural heritage deputy at the provincial office of Iran's Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization, the restoration schemes underway over the past five years had achieved their highest progress in the last fiscal year (ended March 20, 2017).  "With a budget of 40 billion rials ($970,000), we managed to renovate up to 250 historical houses last year," Moqaddam was quoted as saying by ISNA.  The schemes involve offering financial assistance to owners of buildings within the historical texture for restoration and maintaining the local community in the area.  "Better protection of historical buildings, increasing public participation in conservation efforts and the sustainable use of old structures are among the benefits of the plan," Moqaddam said.