CIP A 2005 XX International Symposium, 26 September - 01 October, 2005, Torino, Italy 
912 
DOCUMENT A TION OF THE ANCIENT VILLA GE OF KHORANA GH 
FOR REHABILITATION PURPOSE: A PRELIMINARY REPORT 
A. Malian 3 , M. Zolfaghari b , 
a CIPA National Delegate, University of Tafresh, Iran - malian@taut.ac.ir 
b AmirKabir University of Technology, Iran - zolfagar@aut.ac.ir 
KEY WORDS: Cultural Heritage, Documentation, Close Range Photogramnietry, Geodetic Survey, Laser Scanning 
ABSTRACT 
Surveying cultural heritage involves measurement at different levels. Wide range measurements as those based on topography or 
photogrammetry can be suitable for large buildings while for complex surfaces or small objects 3D scanning techniques seems more 
appropriate. In the case presented here, simultaneous presence of different scales in the same survey shows the usefulness of 
integration of various levels of detail. In a historic site where objects with complex surfaces have to be measured, it is also necessary 
to measure the structure containing them, where it is important to know other information, as the alignment between walls, or the 
planarity of the floor, not needing the same level of detail. In these applications a multi-scale survey where the information density is 
correlated with the importance or formal complexity of the object to be measured, seems to be the ideal solution. In order to obtain 
such result a possible approach is the fusion of different sensors, as range cameras, satellite imagery, topography and 
photogrammetry. In this paper, the application of data fusion approach for the documentation of the ancient village of Khoranagh is 
described. 
1. INTRODUCTION 
Many cultural heritage applications require 3D reconstruction of 
real world objects and scenes. The motives are numerous: 
• To document historic buildings, sites, and objects for 
reconstruction, restoration and rehabilitation purpose if 
they are destroyed for example by fire, earthquake, flood, 
war, or erosion. 
• To create education resources for history and culture 
students and researches. 
• To reconstruct historic monuments that no longer exist, or 
partially exist. 
• To visualize scenes from viewpoints that are impossible in 
the real world due to size or surrounding objects. 
• To interact with objects without contact and risk of 
damage. 
• To establish virtual tourism and virtual museum. 
Surveying cultural heritage involves measurement at different 
levels. Wide range measurements as those based on topography 
or photogrammetry can be suitable for large buildings while for 
complex surfaces or small objects 3D scanning techniques 
seems more appropriate. In the case presented here, 
simultaneous presence of different scales in the same survey 
shows the usefulness of integration of various levels of detail. In 
a historic site where objects with complex surfaces have to be 
measured, it is also necessary to measure the structure 
containing them, where it is important to know other 
information, as the alignment between walls, or the planarity of 
the floor, not needing the same level of detail. In these 
applications a multi-scale survey where the information density 
is correlated with the importance or formal complexity of the 
object to be measured, seems to be the ideal solution. 
In order to obtain such result a possible approach is the fusion 
of different sensors, as range cameras, satellite imagery, 
topography and photogrammetry. In this paper, the application 
of the aforementioned approach for the documentation of the 
ancient village of Khoranagh is described. 
1.1 Historical background 
Khoranagh village, situated in Yazd province, is a magnificent 
architectural complex of clay and mud style with unique 
characteristics. In ancient times, this village was protected by a 
fortress constructed around it. The village is surprisingly green 
in the middle of the Dasht Kavir desert. In five minutes walking 
distance off the road to the village, a huge ancient citadel 
catches the eyes. In front of the citadel a Caravan Saray stands. 
Figure 1. The unique landscape of Khoranagh 
The silence of the desert, the green nature of the village, the 
remoteness of the place, the ancient history, and its glamorous 
night sky attracted the Center for International Research and 
Collaboration (ISMO) to select Khoranagh as the venue for its 
future scientific workshops and schools. 
ISMO was established following an agreement between Abdus 
Salam International Center for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) and 
the Ministry of Science, Research and Technology on 
December 1998. the office started its work on April 1999, with 
professor Reza Mansouri as the Founding President and was 
recognized as a center by the Government of Iran on October 
2001. The mission of ISMO is promoting Iran’s international 
scientific collaboration and to develop world-class capabilities 
in knowledge advancement in the country. 
ISMO is the authority for the restoration and rehabilitation of 
the citadel of the Khoranagh village. This is according to an 
agreement signed on April 2003, between ISMO and the Iranian 
Heritage Organization. The Village is let to ISMO for 15 years 
to be used as its venue of the workshops and summer schools of