The Italian Minister of Cultural Heritage and Activities and Tourism Dario Franceschini visited the World Heritage site of Persepolis near Iranian southern city of Shiraz on Tuesday.
During his visit the Italian official referred to years of cooperation between Iran and Italy and voiced hope for more development of the cultural ties.
“Iran is a magnificent country with many attractions and historical sites,” said Franceschini reassuring, “I would visit Iran more in future.”
Commenting on Persepolis, the Italian official called it one of the huge and unique buildings in the world, saying that he had read about it a lot but seeing it personally meant more to him.
He affirmed that he has had meetings with Iranian Vice President Massoud Soltanifar as well as Minister of Culture Ali Jannati, and good agreements have been made.
Franceschini ascertained that having a good background of cooperation, the two nations will bolster ties in realms of restoring and reconstructing old buildings, science, archeology, and exchange of experts.
Founded by Darius I around 518 BCE, Persepolis was the capital of the Achaemenid Empire as well as the symbol of the Achaemenid dynasty.
The importance and quality of the monumental ruins make it a unique archaeological site.
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