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Following an earthquake which hit the
western town of Avaj in 2000, the thousand-year-old
towers of Kharaghan sustained serious damages. Although
the Manavi, Aladdin, and Taher shrines were also
destroyed in the quake, a paramount importance has been
attached to Kharaghan towers due to their antiquity and
unique brick works decorations.
Estimates show that the twin towers of Kharaghan took
some 50 percent damage and the dome of one of them
totally collapsed while the other has lost its
stability. Large and serious cracks had developed on the
body of the two towers, large parts collapsed and brick
works decorations sustained extensive damages and
partially destroyed.
These two 45 foot high towers are, in fact, built over
two burial sites 90 feet apart. According to the
remaining inscriptions, one of the towers has been
constructed in A.D. 1067 and the other in A.D.1093.
Pointing that the fortification and renovation works
started 15 days after the earthquake, Mohammadzadeh, the
head of the Cultural Heritage Department in the Qazvin
province said: “Since the two towers sustained heavy
damages, the first phase of the work has been dedicated
to filling the cracks, initial consolidation, and
documentation of the remnants, especially in decoration
parts."
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