Restoration works on Kashkan Bridge in Lorestan

Kashkan Bridge is an ancient Sassanid-era (224 CE to 651) monument located in the western province of Lorestan.

Lorestan, which is a region of great historical significance, was inhabited by Iranian Indo-European peoples, including the Medes, c. 1000 BC. Cimmerians and Scythians intermittently ruled the region from about 700 to 625 BC. The Luristan Bronzes noted for their eclectic array of Assyrian, Babylonian, and Iranian artistic motifs, date from this turbulent period. Lorestan was incorporated into the growing Achaemenid Empire in about 540 BC and successively was part of the Seleucid, Parthian, and Sasanid dynasties.

The Kashkan bridge is 300 meters long, and it originally had 11 columns and 12 arches. The height of the structure varies between 10 to 26 meters. Inscribed on the National Heritage List, the bridge is one of the most spectacular attractions of the ancient region.

On March of 2019, during heavy rain season and devastating flooding, tens of cultural heritages sites in Lorestan were damaged. It has been reported that these floods washed away parts of a historic hill, on top of which the famed Falak-ol-Aflak Castle is nested.

In order to restore the ancient bridge, a project of three billion rials ($71,400 at the official exchange rate of 42,000 rials per dollar) budget as Amin Qasemi said, intended to strengthen and repair the foundation and the pillars of the bridge. As also Amin Qasemi mentioned, the bridge was restored as close to its original condition as possible using the same materials similar to those used in its construction.