Deputy Head of Khorassan province Cultural Heritage Department for research Rajab-Ali Labbaf-Khaniki declared here on Wednesday a recently-approved project on restoration of the historical site in the ancient city of Neishabour, IRNA reported.

He told IRNA that once the project becomes operational, not only Neishabour historical sites and monuments will be identified and restored, but a proper touristic atmosphere of high attraction will be created in the city.

According to him, a rls 2.4 billion credit has been allocated to the project.

The cultural heritage official said that the archaeological excavations currently underway at Neishabour Shadyakh area is one of the most significant programs to be implemented by Khorassan Cultural Heritage Department in the current Iranian year (started March 21).

He said that the area surface of Shadyakh historical site is some 36 hectares which is partially unearthed.

He pointed out that 2,152 historical monuments are still to be identified across the province.

Under the reign of Taherian dynasty, Neishabour was once the capital city of Iran.

A myriad of archaic monuments and sites remaining from the historical city, whose population exceeded two million, consist of Ahangaran, Sabz-Poushan, Tarbabad and Madreseh hills as well as Tappeh and Shdyakh canals.

Over 250 historical monuments, which have been identified in he city, have already been registered by Khorassan province Cultural Heritage Department.

Neishabour with a population of 500,000 is located 120 kms to the southwest of the provincial capital city of Mashhad.

Meanwhile Khorassan province Governor-General Seyed-Hassan Rassouli said here on Wednesday that a branch office of the Iranology Foundation is to become operational in the province in a couple of months.

Inspecting Neishabour Shadyakh Planetarium, he said that once this cultural center opens, the proper ground for the restoration of the provincial historical monuments will be facilitated on a larger scale.

Referring to the need and priority of the restoration of archaic monuments and sites across the province, he named Neishabour Shadyakh area as one of the treasures buried under the ground.

The governor-general added that Khorassan province is one of the pivotal hubs of the Islamic history and civilization.

The official pointed out that the province is marked for its great number of valuable archaic monuments, which will manifest Iran's ancient history and culture, once they are restored and a comprehensive atlas is compiled on them.

An executive supervisor of Neishabour Khayyam Planetarium, Hadi Haqiqi, announced that the planetarium is one of the five major ones in the world and the third one nationwide.

According to him, the diameter of the planetarium is 23 meters and that once the required equipment are installed, it will turn out to be a major cultural hub in the country.