Turquoise-Like Stones Unearthed in Burnt City

Tehran, 8 February 2006 (CHN) -- Archeological excavations in Bunrt City resulted in the discovery of some turquoise-like stones for the first time which were found only 5 centimeters under the ground.
“For the first time, excavations in Burnt City provided us with some valuable archeological information in this historical site. This excavation was carried out in the blade- making area of Burnt City, where we believe blades such as saw and knife were made from ‘filing stones’,” said Mansour Sajadi, head of archeology team in Burnt City.
This is the first time that some objects similar to turquoise stones have been discovered in Burnt City. “These stones have been sent to the geology laboratory of Zahedan Azad University to be studied carefully in order to determine their identity,” explained Sajadi.
According to geological researches, mineral stones exist in special regions such as Khorassan province. Therefore, archeologists still do not know much about the characteristics of these stones and the reason for their existence in this area. A large number of stone blades were also discovered during the recent excavations in Burnt City.
The latest archeological excavations were carried out in a 4x4 meter area in 5-centimeter depth of the earth and lasted for four days. “Only spoon, awl, and sieve are being used in this excavation. It is somehow impossible to carry out such a delicate excavation with any other kinds of tools,” said Sajadi in this respect. This kind of excavations provides archeologists with an opportunity to get enough information without any need for digging deep into the ground.
“The purpose of this kind of excavation is to study ancient relics which exist near the surface of the ground in this area. Some artifacts are visible on the surface of this historical site and can easily be taken out without any need for digging, which provided us with some valuable information about the history of Burnt city and its inhabitants. The relics in the 5-centimeter depth of the earth are considered as surface objects as well, which are most often unearthed during deep diggings. This time we were determined to carry out excavations and gain information only from upper layers,” explained Sajadi.
Burnt City, located in Sistan va Balushistan province in southeast of Iran, is one of the prominent historical sites of Iran. It is a 5000-year-old ancient site with historical graveyards and buildings with unique architectural structures. The city was the habitat of a developed civilization with a rich culture and economy. Studies show that the site was once the center of international trade (the biggest Pre-historic cloth collection has been discovered here).
Burnt City has so far undergone 9 seasons of excavations which have resulted in the discovery of a number of interesting artifacts, some of which are unique in the world. The first archeological excavations at this site were carried out by Italians, later on followed by the Iranian archeologists.