Mausoleum at risk from Sivand dam: 18-06-2008
An important archaeological site in Iran is at risk from a nearby dam, according to the mayor of Pasargadae.
The Sivand dam is only nine kilometres from the mausoleum of Cyrus the Great and humidity caused by the reservoir's presence is already taking its toll, causing cracks to appear on the site's stonework.
Mayor Amir-Teimur Khosravi said the level of humidity is like nothing ever experienced by the residents of Pasagadae and the dam is causing subterranean waters to rise.
"In the Southwest section of the mausoleum, which is considered the entrance to the archaeological site, the subterranean waters have surfaced and caused crakes to appear on the stonework," he said.
"The subterranean waters have filled the Pasargadae’s terraces and in some sections water has even been surfaced.
"The hygrometer installed near the mausoleum of Cyrus the Great is also confirms the high level of humidity in the area."
Archaeologists have campaigned to have the dam removed since it was commissioned in 1992.