A flood in the Firoozabad palace of Ardeshir Babakan, the founder of the Sassanid Empire, has destroyed part of the historical complex.

Yesterday's flood in Firoozabad, in the Shiraz province of southern Iran, demolished the fences around the historical complex, local news outlets report.

Meanwhile, clips of flooding released by Iranian news agencies have highlighted the possibility of mismanagement in the "timely cleansing" of the complex and the "natural route of water disposal" in the historic site.

The head of the Cultural Heritage Department in Firoozabad, Dorna Shahbazi, told the state-run Iran Labor News Agency that the flood scene shown on the released film is located in an area next to the bridge leading to the palace's site.

"Although the flood penetrated the first-degree area of Ardeshir Babakan Palace and caused the fencing to collapse, it did not damage the palace and its walls."

"This is a natural disaster and has its impacts," she added. "Nevertheless, the flood is currently controlled, and it has not damaged the complex."

More than seven provinces have been hit by flash floods in recent days, with at least seven people killed in the Bushehr and Hormozgan provinces.

The spokesman for the country's Crisis Management Organization said that a red alert situation was already declared for the Bushehr, Fars, and Khuzestan provinces.

In April 2019, heavy rains in large areas of Iran and numerous floods damaged the country's ancient sites in several regions, including the opening of the cracks in Naqsh-e Rostam, located near Persepolis in Fars province.

Furthermore, a part of the Great Wall of Gorgan, built by the Sassanids to defend Iran against Central Asia's nomads, was also damaged.

The Sasanid kingdom (224–651 AD), founded by King Ardeshir -- known as Furious Lion -- was the last Persian Empire before the arrival of invading Arabs and Islam in the mid-seventh century.