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LONDON, (CAIS) -- Barm-e Dalak, one of the most important sites in Iran date to the Sasanian dynasty has been turned into a garbage dump. Located in southeastern Shiraz in Fars Province, the site is home to two Sasanian bas-reliefs both carved on a small rock, the Persian service of CHN reported on Tuesday.

Waste material from construction projects and industrial activities has been dumped at the site. In addition, tar residues from an asphalt manufacturing plant are released into a nearby rivulet, polluting the environment.

A marsh has also been created by the rivulet nearby, increasingly polluting the site.

Barm-e Dalak was a holy site during the Sasanian dynastic period (224-651 CE). One of the bas-reliefs depicts two people respectfully standing before a burner. One of the people is believed to be Sasanian king Bahram II (r. 276–293).

The other bas-relief shows a woman receiving a flower from a man, who is surmised to be a prince.

These bas-reliefs are important for featuring types of royal costumes in use during the Sasanian dynasty.

The bas-reliefs have deliberately been defaced by vandals and also by writing graffiti.

Making excuses for its negligence, the Fars Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts Department stated that it would not provide security for the bas-reliefs since Barm-e Dalak is located in an area owned by a private sector organisation.

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