Latest Archaeological News From Iran

Explosions Shook Historic City of Toos

2006-12-28T16:44:00.000-08:00

Tehran, 28 December 2006 (CHN Foreign Desk) -- Recent explosive operations by Road & Transportation Department of Khorasan Razavi province for construction of a belt road three kilometers from the city of Toos have caused cracks to appear in the surrounding walls of this historic city. Construction of the belt road close to the historic city of Toos has recently started without coordination with Iran’s Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization (ICHTO). This is while based on an act passed by the Iranian Cabinet Ministers, all governmental organizations are obliged to coordinate their projects with ICHTO and obtain permission.
Expressing strong objection to the activities of the Road & Transportation Department of Khorasan Razavi province, Vafa Sabeti, head of the Research Center of Toos Historic City said: “Currently a team of cultural heritage experts has been dispatched to the historic city of Toos to make a report from the damages caused by the explosive operations.” Considering that the city has large numbers of old buildings, Sabeti predicts that more likely the city’s main rampart, the ruling seat of the ancient citadel, and Haroonieh have also seen damages by the explosive operations. However, since the city’s rampart extends for 7 kilometers, Sabeti believes that assessing the extent of damages to this historic city is a time-taking process.
On the other hand, executive authorities of road construction claim that their operations do not pose any threat to the ancient monuments of Toos. “We had to use weak explosives to destroy the trenches that exist on the path of road construction; but explosions are set at a distance of 3 kilometers from the city; therefore, this historic city is safe,” said Ali-Akbar Alipour, the project manager.
The historic city of Toos is located in Khorasan Razavi province, northeast Iran. It was among the first cities that were destroyed by the Mongol invaders and like other cities of Khorasan province was almost completely ruined. Ruins of old Toos can still be seen in this city today; however, Toos is most famous for the tomb of Ferdowsi, the renowned Persian poet of the 10th century AD.

Lost Achaemenid City Rising from Bam Historic Site

2006-12-19T13:47:00.000-08:00

Tehran, 18 December 2006 (CHN Foreign Desk) -- Studies by a team of archeologists from Bam Archeological Research Institute led into discovery of a vast city, 42 hectares in area, belonging to the Achaemenid dynastic period (550 BC–330 BC) at the historic site of Bam, Kerman province. Archeologists assume the city is more likely what referred to in historic texts and Bisotun inscription as Nashirmeh which was mistakenly taken as the other name for the historic complex of Pasargadae located in present-day Fars province. Large numbers of potshards dated to the Achaemenid dynastic era were also found by archeologists during their recent studies in Bam’s major fault, situated close to the world famous Bam Citadel.
Archeologists believe that the discovery of the exact location of Nashirmeh, otherwise referred to as Paishiyauvada, is essential in gaining a greater understanding of the mysterious years of strife and turmoil during the last years of Cambyses’ reign which carried through the years that followed his death.
Cambyses II (reigned 529-522 BCE) was the son and successor of Cyrus the Great, founder of the Achaemenid dynasty, who took over the Persian Empire after the death of his father. There may have been some degree of unrest throughout the Empire at the time of Cyrus’ death, for Cambyses apparently felt it necessary secretly to kill his brother, Smerdis (Bardiya), in order to protect his rear while leading the campaign against Egypt in 525 BC. He conquered Memphis and the Pharaoh was carried off in captivity to Susa. Egypt remained as a Persian satrapy for the following 200 years.
While in his Egypt campaign in 522 BC, news reached Cambyses of a revolt back home led by Gaumata the Magian, an impostor claiming to be Smerdis (also known as the false Bardiya), the youngest son of Cyrus the Great and Cambyses’ brother. Several provinces of the Persian Empire accepted the new ruler, who bribed his subjects with a remission of taxes for three years. Hastening home to regain control, Cambyses died, possibly by his own hand, more probably from infection following an accidental sword wound. Later, Darius the Great defeated Gaumata and came to power in 521 BC. The new finding could overturn previous conceptions regarding the events that ultimately resulted into transferring of power from the heirs of Cyrus the Great to the dynasty of Darius the Great who was from a noble Persian family. It can also shed light on the baffling story of Bardiya’s assassination as some believe he was killed by his brother Cambyses while others say that the person killed by Dariu s the Great was the real Bardiya who was murdered due to Darius’ ambition to gain domination of the Persian Empire. The latter theory is now fading for several reasons raised by the new finding of Nashrimeh outside the boundaries of Pasargadae.
One idea that discards the second theory says that if Gaumata was the real Bardiya, why did he refuse to fight Darius the Great in Pasargadae, the center of Achaemenid power? Moreover, Darius the Great’s inscription in Bisotun says that the ‘real’ Bardiya was murdered before Cambyses led his campaign to Egypt. Some believe that Bardiya was killed by the order of his own brother, Cambyses, to prevent any possible claim to the throne while Cambyses was off to Egypt.
Yet relatively fewer archeologists and historians hold Darius the Great responsible for Bardiya’s death and say that Guamata was Cambyses’ brother, Bardiya. These experts argue that if Bardiya was killed by Cambyses in 525 BC, there was no way to keep it secret for three years until Guamata claimed the thrown as Bardiya in 522 BC. On the other hand, historians say that Darius the Great could have easily distorted the reality in his recording in Bisotun inscription as he does not say much about Guamata except that he was a Magian who rebelled against the Achaemenid king of the time whereas in other historic accounts left from his reign, Darius the Great clearly states the ancestors, nationality, and residence of his enemies. However, the first idea that says Guamata was an imposter holds more truth based on historic evidence.
“If the Magian Gaumata is Bardiya, son of Cyrus the Great, why didn’t he stay in Pasargadae? Why did he initiate his uprising somewhere far from the Achaemenid dynastic capital of Pasargadae? Therefore, it is much closer to the reality to say that Gaumata was not in fact Cyrus’ son and for this reason he could not make his way through Pasargadae,” says Mohammad-Taqi Atayi from the team of archeologists in Bam.
“If the theories raised by the recent discovery are proved, the political history of early Achaemenid period as we know it today could significantly be challenged … Once the only reliable reasoning which suggests Nashrimeh and Pasargadae to be one and the same city is disproved, one may conclude the theory that says Darius rebelled against the Imperial Family is fundamentally flawed and can be questioned,” added Atayi.
According to this archeologist, the names of three cities located in Kerman appear on the inscriptions found in Persepolis’ ramparts, one of which is Nashirmeh.‌ He also said that that evidence of Achaemenid dynastic period can still be found in Kerman such as potteries discovered in Sassanid era fortresses of Dokhtar and Ardeshir.
One of the strong documents used by archeologists to refute the theory suggesting Nashrimeh and Pasargadae to be the same is the Bisotun inscription. A few years after Darius the Great rose to the throne, he arranged for the inscription of a long ode of his accession in the face of the usurper Gaumata to be inscribed on a cliff in the Zagros Mountains of Iran that extend to Kermanshah Plain in a historic site known as Bisotun.
The inscription is carved in both Old-Persian and Elamite languages. The Old-Persian inscription mentions a place called Paishiyauvada while its twin inscription in Elamite has Nashirmeh in place of this word. This shows that Paishiyauvada and Nashirmeh refer to the same place and that Nashirmeh was the Elamite name for Paishiyauvada. On the other hand, since it was not common for a city to have more than one name in one language and since Paishiyauvada and Pasargadae are both Persian names, it is clear that Paishiyauvada and Pasargadae are not the same. Therefore, Nashirmeh is not the Elamite equivalent for Pasargadae and refers to the same city known as Paishiyauvada. Moreover, according to the Bisotun inscription, Paishiyauvada is the name of a city on the foothills of a mountain called Arakadri, which today archeologists believe is the Jebal-Barez Mountain, south of Bam in Kerman province. This shows that Nashirmeh was indeed in Kerman.
The rule of the entire Kerman region along with a number of other satrapies was bestowed by Cyrus the Great to his youngest son, Bardiya. This is why Gaumata chose this region, Paishiyauvada in particular, as the base of his revolt. Moreover, its population of 8000 people was a great advantage. Even if three-quarter of the population were women, children, and the elderly, this still leaves a population of 2000 young men who could make up a powerful army to help Gaumata reach its goal. However, if Gaumata was the real Bardiya, he could have easily made use of all the powers in his hand and unite all the regions under his control to rebel against his brother and seize over Pasargadae, which evidently never happened, once again proving Gaumata as fraud.
Nonetheless, further studies on the recently discovered Achaemenid city of Nashirmeh (Paishiyauvada) will shed more light on the mysterious years that followed Cambyses’ death.

Traces of Mithraism Found in Mazandaran Province

2006-06-08T19:21:00.000-07:00

Tehran, 8 June 2006 (CHN) -- Discovery of some Mithraism symbols such as cypress, a goat and an inscription in Sassanid-Pahlavi language and Mithraism architectural style in Kangelou Fortress all have strengthened the theory that this historical monument was used as a worship place during the ancient times. “In Avesta, Zoroastrian’s holly book, Mithra means promise and faith. Mehr (literary meaning love or sun) was one of the creators of Ahura Mazda, God in Zoroastrianism. He was the protector of promise and faith and was lord of light and brightness. We have found some symbols of this religion in Kangelou Fortress,” said Saman Sourtiji, member of academic assembly of Iran’s Archaeology Research Center and head of excavation team in Kangelou Fortress.
According to Sourtiji, while most of the Mithraism worship places were located inside the caves or places deeper in the ground with the opening towards the sun, Kangelou monument has a quiet different style. “Kangelou is an oval-shaped tower with a 50-square-meter area, constructed in three floors with rubbles, plaster, and mortar. Although most parts of the ceiling have been destroyed over time, what has remained indicates that Sassanid architectural style was used in the construction of the ceilings. A small hole towards the west was identified during the initial excavations in this monument on the base of the tower which means that there must have been a cubbyhole in a lower level of the tower,” added Sourtiji. According to Mithraism beliefs, Mehr was created from a stone, which is why Kangelou monument has a panorama of a huge rock mountain named Khernero from the north. In Pahlavi language, Khernero means the spirit of the sun. Sourtiji believes that former discoveries in this historical site indicate that Kangelou Fortress must have been used as a worship place during the Sassanid era. For example, discovery of some graves with burial gifts such as an opal signet ring with Pahlavid-Sassanid script carved on it, discovery of a gemstone with the design of a six-petal sun carved on it, and another gemstone designed with the image of a cypress tree all may be used as proofs to this claim because all of these designs had a symbolic meaning in Mithraism beliefs.
“The design of a goat, which was the symbol of nature and fertility, was carved on one of the discovered jewels. Also the discovered Sassanid-Pahlavi inscription on the opal signet ring says “Farokhi” or “Farahi”, meaning luck or happiness, and belongs to the 4th century AD when Mithraism was spread to a large extent within Iran and Europe,” explained Sourtiji. Mithraism was an ancient mysterious religion prominent from the 1st century BC to the 5th century AD. Mithraism apparently originated in the eastern part of today’s Iran around the 7th century BC. It was based on worship to the goddess Mithras and derives from the Persian and Indic god Mithra and other Zoroastrian deities. Mithras was known throughout Europe and Asia by the names Mithra, Mitra, Meitros, Mihr, Mehr, and Meher. The veneration of this God began about 4000 years ago in Persia, where it was soon embedded with Babylonian doctrines. According to Martin A. Larson, an American populist freethinker and religion scholar, in The Story of Christian Origins, Mithraism and Christianity derived from the same sources.
Mithra’s birthday was adopted by Christians in the 4th century AD as the birth of Christ. The archaeology team in Kangelou Fortress hopes to find more traces of Mithraism in this historical monument. If this claim is proven fully, Kangelou will be the most important Sassanid prayer house discovered so far in Mazandaran province.

Wine Production was Well-Developed during Sassanid Era

2006-06-07T23:15:00.000-07:00

Tehran, 7 June 2006 (CHN) -- Recent geophysical and archaeological studies in Bolaghi Gorge led to discovery of the biggest wine production workshops belonging to the Sassanid era (226–650 AD). This is the first time archaeologists have succeeded in discovering such a big wine production workshop. Prior to this, the remains of a wine production workshop belonging to the Sassanid era had been discovered during the archaeological excavations by the joint Iranian-Polish team in Bolaghi Gorge under the supervision of Ali Asadi and Barbara Kaim.
“Three wine production workshops had already been discovered in area no. 64 of Bolaghi Gorge historical site during archaeological excavations by the Iranian-Polish joint team. However, the recent geophysical studies have resulted in discovery of more than 10 other constructions which were used for producing wine. Two coins belonging to Qobad I, the Sassanid king, were also discovered in the architectural remains in this area which indicate that the area no. 64 and all its belongings must go back to the Sassanid era,” said Reza Heidari, the current Iranian head of the Iranian-Polish joint team in Bolaghi Gorge.
Babak Aminpour, head of the team of geophysical studies in Bolaghi Gorge, strongly believes that most of the unearthed constructions in area no. 64 of Bolaghi Gorge must have been workshops for producing wine. “Mortar dishes were used for producing wine and the grape juice was directed to bigger jars through a ditch which was built for this purpose. The remains of grain pits have also been discovered in this area,” explained Aminpour.
According to Heidari, considering that the main settlement area of the royal family was in the south of Fars province during the Sassanid era, discovery of these workshops in Bolaghi Gorge on the opposite side, north of Fars province, has raised new questions. All of these new discoveries indicate that the Persians enjoyed a high technology in producing wine during the ancient times, particularly the Sassanid era. The most ancient wine of the world seems to have been found in a vase in Ajjii Firuz Tepe in Iran belonging to 5000-5500 BC.
Bolaghi Gorge is one of the historical sites of the Pasargadae in Fars province. With the flooding of Sivand Dam which has been constructed in this gorge, hundreds of historical sites unearthed so far including area no. 64 will drown. With the cooperation of Sivand Dam authorities and Bolaghi Gorge salvation team, some joint teams from Iran and foreign countries are busy with archaeological excavations in the site to save the main remains of Bolaghi Gorge before inauguration of the dam.

40 Skeletons Rested in Peace for 3000 Years in Narges Tepe

2006-06-06T14:53:00.000-07:00

Tehran, 6 June 2006 (CHN) -- Archaeological excavations in Narges Tepe historical site in the Iranian northern province of Golestan led to the discovery of 40 skeletons, most probably belonging to the first millennium BC. Ali Abbasi, the head assistant of Narges Tepe excavation team reported, “40 skeletons and some architectural remains were discovered during the archaeological excavations in Narges Tepe. However, more studies are required to determine the exact date of these skeletons. The burial method used for these skeletons will also be announced after more accurate studies.”
Based on the previous excavations and according to what Mahmoud Rabiei, executive director of the Cultural Heritage and Tourism Department of Golestan province, had said about Narges Tepe, this historical hill dates back to some 3000 years ago. “Discovered relics such as clay jars in this historical site have strengthened the theory that Narges Tepe should have been a village during the first millennium BC,” explained Rabiei. According to Abbasi, previously only some soundings were done in this historical site and this is the first time a systematic archaeological excavation is being carried out in Narges Tepe. However, he refused to give more detailed information due to security reasons and referred further announcements to the end of the excavations in Narges Tepe. Archaeological excavations in Narges Tepe have been started since two months ago and will continue to 4th of July. However, Abbasi believes that these excavations will extend to August.

Identifying 18 Watermills in Khuzestan

2006-06-03T14:11:00.000-07:00

Tehran, 3 June 2006 (CHN) -- Khuzestan’s water and energy organization succeeded in identifying 18 water millponds in city of Baghmalek in Khuzestan province. These watermills date back to between 100 to 700 years ago and all of them have Iranian traditional names. “Since the people of this region have many difficulties with transferring and watering these mills, they still use 1000-year-old methods such as tunnel mills, etc. However, since almost fifty percent of these mills have been destroyed over time, they are not usable any longer,” said Hamid Reza Farokhabadi, head of a department of Khuzestan water organization.
According to Farokh Ahmadi, this region enjoyed a rich technology from ancient times in using different irrigation methods such as constructing channels and digging tunnels for directing the water of Abolabas River, constructing man-made waterfalls, etc for watering their paddies which can be considered as one of the tourism attractions of the region.
It is important to know that Iran has some of the oldest and biggest dams in the world. The dam of Kurit was considered the biggest dam in the world up until the blossoming of the Western technology in the 20th century. There are about 75 ancient Dams in Iran, some as old as 6000 years old.
Farokh Ahmadi also explained that identifying these constructions is a new accomplishment which has been made by the water organization of Khuzestan province. “Those one which might be usable will be reconstructed to be revived in future,” added Ahmadi.

Pishva Historical Site on the Verge of Devastation

2006-06-01T12:48:00.000-07:00

Tehran, 1 June 2006 (CHN) -- While the historical site of Pishva, which contains a large amount of historical relics belonging to different periods of time, is on the verge of complete destruction by bulldozers, no real measure has yet been taken by authorities to prevent this cultural disaster. “Some people who claim to have certificate from the municipality of Pishva for construction activities in the area, have already started the destruction of Pishva historical site by bulldozers. No measure has been taken yet by authorities to prevent this destructive activity in the area which contains a large amount of clay relics,” said Mohammad Mir Eskandari, head of the archaeology team of Pishva Azad University.
According to Mir Eskandari, Pishva Tepe is considered a very important historical site for completing the studies about the history of the Central Plateau of Iran and its destruction would cause irrecoverable harm to a part of the ancient history of the Central Plateau of Iran. Although the Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization of Iran had already declared about the harm which is threatening Pishva historical site several times, it seems it was neglected by the other organizations.
On the other hand the authorities of Pishva municipality have denied the destruction activities in the area and claim that the lands in the vicinity of Pishva historical hill are not belonging only to Pishva’s Municipality and they belong to the Ministry of the Housing and Urban Development, and Azad University as well. Besides, according to the municipality of Pishva city, the Cultural Heritage and Tourism Department of Tehran have not determined the vicinity of this historical hill exactly yet.
Prior to this the news about the destruction of some historical sites in Pishva historical Tepe was announced and confirmed by the authorities of the Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization of Iran such as destruction of historical cemetery belonging to the Iron Age, and illegal excavations in this historical site. However, it seems it caused no change in the trend of illegal and destructive activities in this historical site.
While according to the article no. 558 of Islamic punishment regulations of Iran, whoever causes any kind of harm to any cultural, historical or religious sites which have been registered in the list of Iran’s National Heritage, should not only compensate for the loss, but also will sentence to one to ten years imprisonment. However, it seems this act does not work with Pishva clay hill which since few months ago is under illegal excavations and seems to be on the verge of devastation and no legal action has been made in this respect to prevent these destructive activities. Pishva is a city located in Tehran province. It is situated in the south-east of this province. The history of this hill dates back to the fifth millennium BC. Pishva clay historical hill is one of the registered sites in list of Iran’s National Heritage.
What is more disappointing in this respect is that it is not the first time that constructional and development activities are a hazard to one of the historical sites in Iran and it has changed into one of the major concerns of the cultural heritage enthusiasts. Maybe, this problem rises from lack of a comprehensive and executive regulation about how to protect the historical sites and also lack of information about the importance of cultural and historical sites. Implementing a determined regulation for protecting historical site, increasing the public knowledge about the importance of historical sites as a national heritage, and creating a coalition between different organizations and between organizations and people would be the best way to put an end to this controversy.

Discovery of Jar Burials and Bronze Arrowheads in Khuzestan

2006-06-01T12:35:00.000-07:00

Tehran, 1 June 2006 (CHN) -- Some jar burial with a bronze hair pin belonging to the Parthian era, and some arrowheads dating back to the Achaemenid era were discovered during the archaeological excavations at Sanjar Tepe in the city of Dezful, Khuzestan province. “During the recent archaeological excavations in satellite hills of Sanjar Tepe, we succeeded in discovery of some arrowheads. The form of these arrows indicates that they must have belonged to the Achaemenid era. We also found some jar burial graves belonging to the Parthian era with a stone seal and a bronze heir pin inside one of the graves,” said Mostafa Abdolahi, member of the excavation team in Sanjar Tepe.
According to Abdolahi, the excavations in Sanjar historical hill have been started to determine the history of the hill, its relation with the other pre-historic settlements of the area, determining the vicinity of this hill, providing the archaeology map of the area, and carrying out lithographical studies in this historical site.
First season of archaeological excavations in Sanjar Tepe has started by the students of Dezful Azad University under the supervision of Dr. Pour Derakhchandeh. Some important historical relics including a cylindrical seal with the design of a winged horse on its end, and clay, bronze, and iron relics have been unearthed so far during the archaeological excavations in this historical site.
Sanjar historical Tepe is located in the city of Dezful in Khuzestan province, south of Iran, and belongs to the Elamite period (2700 BC-539 BC). The first season of archaeological excavations in this historical site led to discovery of the location of Zahari, the Elamite city. This city was located between the cities of Susa and Avan. Considering the archaeological evidence found in the region, it is believed that this city must have existed near the Sanjar Tepe.

Discovery of Wheat Grains Inside a Grave as a Burial Offering in Gohar Tepe

2006-05-31T00:56:00.000-07:00

LONDON, May 31, 2006(CAIS) -- Continuation of archaeological excavations in Gohar Tepe led to the discovery of a large amount of wheat grains inside a grave placed in an oblation dish used as a burial gift. Ali Mahforouzi, archaeologist and head of excavation team in Gohar Tepe historical site, believes that discovery of these wheat grains would reveal some aspects of daiet habits of the inhabitants of Gohar Tepe during the Iron Age.
“Initial studies on the wheat grains which were discovered in a dish belonging to the Iron Age show that they are domestic and similar to those already found in Bronze Age layers. This new discovery might change some previous theories about the lifestyle of the people of the Iron Age. While it is believed that the inhabitants of that period had a nomadic life and were not settled in a particular place and earned their livings mostly through animal husbandry, discovery of grown domestic wheat in this area could be used as a proof to claiming that the inhabitants of Gohar Tepe enjoyed permanent settlements during the Iron Age and in addition to animal husbandry they produced grains as well,” said Mahforouzi.
Offering gifts to the dead was a common practice during the ancient times. So far, different kinds of burial methods have been discovered in Gohar Tepe including jar burial, squat burial, fetal burial, etc. Burial gifts were seen in most of the graves regardless of the method used for burial. However, the philosophy behind some of these burial methods as well as the burial gifts is still unknown to archaeologists and required more comprehensive archaeological studies.
Regarding the religious practices of the Gohar Tepe inhabitants during the Iron Age, Mahforouzi said, “What the people of this area practiced as their religion is still a matter of controversy. However, considering the discovery of some clay dishes containing the remains of the bones of some sacrificed animals in the graves, most probably the empty dishes were filled with holly water or other liquids at the time of burial, showing that the people of this region believed in making offerings to the dead” added Mahforouzi.
Based on stratigraphical studies done over the past few decades on the site, Gohar Tepe was an active center in the middle Bronze Age which was still alive during the Iron Age. However, the most ancient cultural layers found in the area belong to the Neolithic period, some 14,000 years ago, which are very similar to those found in other regional states and Central Asia. “The discovered evidence such as the existence of rural life and urbanization, evidence of a flourished economy system, the existence of pottery workshops and forges, stone and clay relics such as the statues of human beings and animals, the remains of plant and animals in the region, and many more evidence found in Gohar Tepe all indicate that this historic site is worth receiving a special attention and support by the people and all the authorities especially the Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization of the country.
Further excavations in the region would result in a better understanding of the lifestyle of the people who lived in the southern regions of the Caspian Sea,” added Mahforouzi. Gohar Tepe historical site, with a 50 hectare area, is located in eastern parts of Mazandaran province between the cities of Neka and Behshahr, north of Iran. It is one of the most important historical sites of Mazandaran province located near the Caspian Sea which carries the secret of an ancient civilization. It is also believed that Gohar Tepe once enjoyed a complicated urbanization with a history that goes back to some 5000 years ago.
According to the public relations office of the Cultural Heritage and Tourism Office of Mazandaran province, Delavar Bozorgnia, director of this organization is intending to change Gohar Tepe historical site into a museum site with the cooperation of Ali Mahforouzi and other archaeologists, to give tourists the chance to observe closely the remains of the skeletons with their burial gifts and other historical remains discovered in this site and feel themselves in the atmosphere and historical context these objects belonged to. Also a clay oven has been created near the ancient one to make clay objects similar to the ancient ones for tourists to buy as souvenirs.

Archaeological Findings of Persepolis Exhibited

2006-05-30T15:01:00.000-07:00

Tehran, 30 May 2006 (CHN) -- On the sideline of the first workshop for promoting the management and planning of cultural landscapes of world heritage, currently held in Pesepolis, Fars province, an exhibition displaying archaeological findings in this historic palace opened today in Persepolis.
In this exhibition some pictures which were taken by foreign archaeologists such as Eric Schmidt and Ernest Herzfeld from the Oriental Institute of University of Chicago, during the archaeological excavations in Persepolis some 70 years ago have been displayed. In addition, images taken from other historical sites provided by different cultural heritage research centers such as Parse-Pasargadae, Tchogha Zanbil, Bam Citadel, Soltanieh, Bisotun, Takht-e Soleiman and historical sites of Shiraz, Yazd, Izeh, Neishabour, Masouleh, Niasar, and Abyaneh have also gone on display in this photo exhibition.
The opening ceremony of this Cultural Heritage Exhibition was held this morning with the attendance of Junko Taniguchi, UNESCO’s programme specialist in culture who is also the Organization’s representative in Tehran, Mohammad Hassan Talebian, head of Parse-Pasargadae Archaeological Research Center, Mehdi Mousavi, deputy director of Iran’s Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization Research Center, Hashem Rabani, director of the Cultural Heritage and Tourism Department of Fars province, Samad Raja, civil deputy of Fars governor office and some cultural heritage experts. The first workshop for promoting the management and planning of cultural landscapes of world heritage started its work yesterday, 29 of May, in Persepolis and will run to the 2nd of June.
During this five-day workshop, some Iranian and foreign experts in cultural heritage including representatives from the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) and UNESCO and also heads of archaeology research centers of a number of countries study the latest accomplishments of UNESCO in this field and discuss the importance of cultural landscapes in preserving the cultural heritage sites all over the world.

Tarisha’s Landscape, Another Historic Site in Danger

2006-05-30T00:48:00.000-07:00

Tehran, 30 May 2006 (CHN) -- After two years of interruption in the construction of a hotel and an amphitheater in the vicinity of Eshkaf-e Salman (Salman Cave), also called Tarisha worship place, where the biggest Elamite cuneiform inscription is located, the Rehearing Court of Khuzestan province voted in favor of the construction of the building. Construction of this hotel which started two years ago in the vicinity of one of the most ancient caves of Iran without coordinating with the Cultural Heritage and Tourism Department of Izeh is a real threat to the landscape of Eshkaft-e Salman historical site.
The court’s decision was announced two years ago; however, due to financial problems, the construction of the hotel had been stopped for two years and now the project is resumed in Eshfat-e Salman in Khuzestan province. “Backed by the court’s approval, the project manager has resumed the construction of this hotel in the area that is considered part of the cultural landscape of Eshkaft-e Salman historical site,” said Keramat Tahmasebi, director of the Cultural Heritage and Tourism Department of Izeh in Khuzestan province.
According to Tahmasebi, Khuzestan’s Rehearing Court was not convinced with the reasons provided by the Cultural Heritage and Tourism Department of this province presented to the court in a file for preventing the construction of the hotel in the area and announced that the submitted file was not complete.
In its announcement, the court says: “Although the Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization is the body that determines the vicinity of a cultural or historical site, the reasons and documents which were submitted to the court by the hotel’s project manager seemed more reasonable compared to what was received from the Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization, which is why the court voted in favor of this project to be continued!”
Asked to comment on the court’s announcement, Tahmasebi said: “While in its verdict the court has mentioned that determining the limits of a cultural landscape is the responsibility of the Cultural Heritage Organization, it has not fully recognized this right and has rejected our reasons. Besides, in the comprehensive map of the city, according to which the court has passed this act, our organization has agreed with the establishment of a park in the vicinity of Eshkaft-e Salman, not a hotel!”
“After the cultural landscape of the historic site of Eshkaft-e Salman was determined, we announced it to all the related organizations. Following the court’s decision, we complained to Iran’s Supreme Court asking them to study the case, but the project manager of the hotel has taken the chance and continued the construction works,” added Tahmasbi.
The pre-historical site of Eshkaft-e Salman is located in the city of Izeh in Khuzestan province and is one of the first historical sites in Iran which was registered in the list of Iran’s National Heritage. The biggest New Elamite inscription is found in this ancient site which is about to be turned into a tourism destination. Four reliefs can be seen in Eshkaf-e Salman, two of which are inside the cave and the other two are in the outside. What is interesting about these reliefs is that it is the first time the picture of a woman is carved beside a man. The image of the wife and sister of the king in a ceremonial tradition, while the priest is in front of them, shows that Eshkaf-e Salman was a worship place.
There is also another cave near this site which was turned into a holly place during the Ilkhanid era. What is happening in the case of Eshkaf-e Salman is only one example of the many other cases of this kind where the country’s cultural heritage is victimized by its urban and development projects. Same things have repeatedly occurred in other parts of the country and that is something Iran’s cultural heritage authorities must find a solution to before it afflicts the entire country.
Iran is trying to highlight the importance of its cultural landscape, the lands that surround its historical sites, and to make people realize how vital preserving the cultural landscapes are in protecting the country’s cultural heritage. In fact, cultural and historical landscape has turned into a very important factor considered greatly by UNESCO during the last two decades in inscribing a place in the list of world heritage sites and one of the main concerns of cultural heritage experts and enthusiast.
What is ironic in the story of Eshkaf-e Salman and its struggle with the hotel is to remember that Iran is currently hosting the first workshop for promoting management and planning of cultural landscapes of world heritage, but yet the country itself has major problems in this regard. The workshop started yesterday at Persepolis, Fars Province, and is attended by experts from International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) and UNESCO and heads of archaeological research centers both inside and outside Iran with the aim of raising the awareness of both the public and the authorities about the importance of preserving their cultural landscapes.
It is undoubtedly correct to argue that the conflicts between different organizations within Iran and in other countries too when it comes to making a choice between preserving a historic site and going on with a development project rise from lack of information about the importance of these cultural heritage sites, and the fact that there are very limited training in this area. It is true that one of the ways through which the countries may succeed in doing so is by passing some regulations which strictly forbid constructions in the vicinity of a historic site. However, passing such laws is only a temporary solution as long as no training happens which provides the reasons for the existence of such regulations.
Perhaps holding of the fist workshop for promoting management and planning of cultural landscapes in a country like Iran would lead into awakening the people and the authorities not only in Iran but also in other countries of the world about their endangered historical sites while familiarizing them with the ways through which they may protect them from more damages.

Jiroft Inscription Belongs to the Eastern Civilization

2006-05-29T14:46:00.000-07:00

Tehran, 29 May 2006 (CHN) -- In his latest research paper about the discovered inscription in Konar Sandal in Jiroft, Piotr Steinkeller, professor of Assyriology in Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations of Harvard University, explains that there exists no correlation between the inscriptions discovered in Jiroft, Shahdad, and Melian historical sites with the Elamite civilization which itself was under the influence of the civilization of Mesopotamia, and they should be considered as an eastern writing language.
“In his latest paper, Prof. Steinkeller has explained that there should not have been any relation between the discovered inscription in Jiroft and Elamite civilization, which itself was under the influence of Mesopotamian civilization. Steinkeller believes that it would be better to throw away this way of thinking and aknowldege the ‘eastern script’ instead of ‘Elamite script,’” said Yousof Majidzadeh, head of excavation team in Jiroft.
The Elamite script is known to belong to Khutelutush-In-Shushinak (c. 1120 - 1110 BC), the Elamite king. Experts believe that it is not logical to accept that a nation, who has a writing language itself, abandons its script after the conquest of a powerful neighbor and adopt Mesopotamian culture and script. They believe that this script found its way to Susa from eastern Iran.“
Decoding the discovered inscription in Jiroft requires a lot of time. However, archaeologists believe that this script must have been more ancient than that of the Elamite civilization. Further archaeological excavations in Jiroft historical site might help researchers to learn more about the identity of this inscription. We had two different writing languages in Iran during ancient times: One of them is Proto-Elamite script, which was mainly figures and numbers, and the other was writing language which did not use images. Prior to the discovery of Jiroft inscription, the most ancient script had been found in Susa historical site which has remained from the reign of Khutelutush-In-Shushinak. This inscription dates back to 1200 BC, while the Jiroft inscription is older than that and is estimated to be between 4400 to 4500 years old,” added Majidzadeh.
Elam is one of the most ancient civilizations on record. It was centered in the far west and southwest of today Iran. The Elamites came in power about 300 years after the fall of the Jiroft Kingdom (5000-3000 BC). The reign of the Elamite kings lasted from 2700 to 539 BC, coming after what is known as the Proto-Elamite period which began around 3200 BC when Susa, the later capital of the Elamites, began to receive influences from the cultures of the Iranian Plateau to the east. “It is believed that Jiroft’s writing language came into existence at the same time Mesopotamia started developing a writing system. According to the carbon 14 tests conducted on the layers in which Jiroft inscription was discovered, this inscription was dated to 2500 BC. Although such tests have not been carried out on Mesopotamia inscription yet, based on the discovered evidence so far, archaeologists strongly believe that Mesopotamia’s script goes back to 2600-2700 BC at most,” explained Majidzadeh. The new discoveries during the archaeological excavations in Konar Sandal such as historical inscriptions, the most ancient ziggurat of the world, and many other historical relics have confused archaeologist and confronted them with an unknown civilization in the east. This further led into revisions on some previous archaeological hypotheses.
The city of Jiroft is situated close to Halil Rud historical site in Kerman province. The discovered stone dishes in the area belonging to the first half of the third millennium BC point to the developed art of carving on stones at that time. The second inscription that was recently discovered at the Konar Sandal Ziggurat of Jiroft is scheduled to be deciphered by teams of researchers from the University of Chicago and the University of Paris. Archaeologists are waiting for the results to come out which may well change the history of civilization as we know today.

Date of Sivand Dam Inundation Not Yet Agreed Upon

2006-05-29T14:20:00.000-07:00

Tehran, 29 May 2006 (CHN) -- The final meeting on the inundation of Sivand Dam will be held on the last week of spring 2006 with the presence of representatives from the Ministry of Energy and Iran’s Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization (ICHTO). This is while the Minister of Energy had already announced that they had reached to an agreement of the exact date of the Sivand Dam inundation which according to him would have been November or December 2006.
“We have not yet reached an agreement with the Ministry of Energy on the inundation of Sivand Dam and the Minister of Energy made his announcement according to what he had estimated from the trend of excavations in Bolaghi Gorge historical site,” said Esfaniar Rahim Mashayi, President of ICHTO to CHN. Prior to this, the Minister of Energy had participated in an interview with Iran’s Fars News Agency in which he announced the agreement of this ministry with ICHTO for the inundation of Sivand Dam toward the end of this year.
“I had a visit to Shiraz on 17th of May and in a meeting attended by ICHTO authorities we studied the case and it seemed that the ICHTO had no problem with resuming the construction of Sivand Dam,” said Parviz Fatah, Minister of Energy. According to Hashem Rabani, director of the Cultural Heritage and Tourism Department of Fars province, the inundation of Sivand Dam will cause no harm to Pasargadae historical site; however, the final result will be clarified by the end of spring. Some experts anticipate that the archaeological excavations in Bolaghi Gorge will finish by that time. It is certain that inundation of the Sivand Dam will drown major parts of Bolaghi Gorge and many of its historical sites; however considering the distance between this dam and the tomb of Cyrus the Great in Pasargadae, flooding of the dam will not directly affect Cyrus’ Tomb, though the humidity created by it will gradually destroy this ancient monument as well.
Sivand Dam is constructed on the Sivand River in Bolaghi Gorge historical site which is located 9 kilometers from the world heritage site of Pasargadae in Fars province. Following the news of the inundation of Sivand Dam, a false rumour was spread around the world which caused a lot of concerns among the cultural heritage enthusiasts that Pasargadae is in serious danger of being drowned. Today, after many studies, experts believe that the only threat the dam poses to Pasargadae and the tomb of Cyrus is the changes in humidity of the area. Still experts from the Ministry of Energy argue that this could be compensated by controlling the water level of the dam reservoir. Yet the relatively close distance between the Sivand Dam and Pasargadae leaves many suspicious.
However, since Bolaghi Gorge will submerge with all its historical sites once the dam is flooded, experts started their archaeological excavations there under a comprehensive salvation project in which archaeologists from all around the world take part. The project has led to some valuable discoveries so far such as unearthing of the remains of the palace of Darius, a village belonging to the Achaemenid era, and large numbers of ancient artifacts. Based on previous agreements, flooding of the dam is postponed until archaeologists announce that their excavations in Bolaghi Gorge are finished.

Re:
The illegitimate rumour that is concerning the supporters of the reservations of ancient monuments however is not only that Pasargadea will be drowned. The major concern is about it being destroyed by the humidity. Hence the rumour is no "false romour" but the reality and needs to be taken seriously. Already many have signed a petition against opening the damn. If you are interested please go to Save Pasargad website and show your support.
If CHN takes the survival of such ancient monuments so seriously, I suggest they build a glass cover around the monument. This technique has successfully been applied to the walls of the valley of the kings in Egypt under the supervision of Zahi Hawas.

Restoration of Cyrus' Tomb Started in Pasargadae

2006-05-29T13:57:00.000-07:00

Tehran, 29 May 2006 (CHN) -- Restoration of the tomb of Cyrus the Great, the Achaemenid king, has started in Pasargadae historical site in Fars province by removing very giant stones. This project which involves 10 restoration experts aims at preventing possible damages to this ancient monument by humidity.
“Studies on the condition of Cyrus’ Tomb and its susceptibility had already started last year, and following that the restoration project of this Achaemenid monument was planned. About 30 years ago, some parts of this monument were restored by an Iranian expert. However, since the material which was used in the restoration was cement, and cement and stone do not stick together for a long time, the cracks appeared once again through which the raindrops leaked into the tomb and caused more damages to the monument. In this restoration project we will try to prevent any water leakage by closing the cracks,” said Mohammad Hassan Talebian, head of Parse-Pasargadae Research Center.
The restoration work started with the ceiling of this historical monument and experts believe that the restoration of the ceiling will be completed by the end of winter.
“Some stones had been removed during the previous restoration work. This time we also have to remove some giant stones and put them back to their original place. The exact place of the stones will be determined by the metal braces used in the construction of the tomb,” said Hassan Rahsaz, restoration expert and head of restoration team of Cyrus’ Tomb.
So far, experts have relocated three stones of the ceiling, weighing more than 2 tons each.
“This year we are intending to pay a special attention to the Tomb of Cyrus and Pasargadae historical site. Therefore, for us this year is the year of Pasargadae,” added Talebian.
Pasargadae historical site is located 87 kilometer northeast of Persepolis in Fars province of Iran. Pasargadae was an important city during the Achaemenid era (648 BC–330 BC) and was the first capital of the Persian Empire. It was construction by the order of Cyrus the Great around 546 BC but was left uncompleted due to death of Cyrus in a battle in 529-530 BC.
Many Greek and Persian historians account that after Cyrus the Great was killed in the battle, he was brought to this place and was buried there. They also say that his tomb was constructed towards the sunset since he was fond of the unset view during his lifetime.
The tomb of Cyrus the Great has witnessed many dramatic events in the course of the history. After the conquest of Persia by Arabs in the seventh century AD, Arab armies came upon the tomb planning to destroy it. However, the talented caretaker of the grave managed to convince the Arab commander that the tomb was not built to honor Cyrus but instead housed the mother of King Solomon. This way he saved it from destruction.

Cylindrical Seal with a Strange Design Discovered in Dezful

2006-05-29T00:39:00.000-07:00

Tehran, 28 May 2006 (CHN) -- Archaeological excavations in Sanjar Tepe in Khuzestan province resulted in the discovery of a cylindrical seal with the design of a winged horse on its end. Although it is not the first time that the archaeologists have found a design of a winged horse in Iran, what makes this one special compared to the previous ones is that this winged horse has a lion’s head and a cow or a goat’s hooves, creating a strange creature which combines features of a horse, a bird, a lion, and a cow!
“A stone seal which most probably belongs to the Sassanid era (226-651 AD) was discovered during the first archaeological excavation in Sanjar Tepe in Dezful. The design of a winged horse can be seen on the seal whose head is like a lion and has round hooves like a cow or a goat. Horse was considered as a sacred animal during the Sassanid period and had a special place among the Persians of the time. We had previously found a large number of Sassanid seals with the designs of winged horses on them in other archaeological sites but what makes this one unique among all the pervious ones is that it is the first time we see such a strange combination of four animals all in one. Another interesting thing about this design is that the hooves are round not cracked, although we don’t have any idea about the reason it is designed so,” said Mostafa Abdolahi, archaeologist and head of Archaeology Department of Azad University of Dezful.
First season of archaeological excavations in Sanjar Tepe has started by the students of Dezful Azad University under the supervision of Dr. Pour Derakhshandeh. According to Abdolahi, the objects which have been discovered so far in this historical site, including clay, bronze and iron relics, were displayed in an exhibition in Khuzestan which was held during the Cultural Heritage Week (18-25 of May).
“Some models illustrating the Islamic architectural style used in the constructions of the city and colored posters from some historic monuments prepared by the students were displayed in this exhibition. In addition, some documentary movies from different archaeological sites were screened in this exhibition,” said Abdolahi.
Sanjar historical Tepe is located in the city of Dezful in Khuzestan province, south of Iran, and belongs to the Elamite period (2700 BC-539 BC). The first season of archaeological excavations in this historical site led to discovery of the location of Zahari, the Elamite city. “This city was located between the cities of Susa and Avan. Considering the archaeological evidence found in the region, we believe that this city must have existed near the Sanjar Tepe,” added Abdolahi.

Bolaghi Gorge, Home to Many Potters

2006-05-27T13:16:00.000-07:00

Tehran, 27 May 2006 (CHN) -- Discovery of several clay ovens at the Bolaghi Gorge in Fars province shows that art of pottery was much flourished in this historical site some 7000 years ago and that this place was the residential settlement of handicrafts artists in pottery making during the ancient times. This was announced in a one-day archaeology seminar which was held on 24th of May in Iran's National Museum with a special focus on Bolaghi Gorge historical site. During this seminar, heads of archaeology teams issued their reports on their accomplishments in this historical site.
Iranian-German joint archaeology team, represented in this seminar by Mojgan Seyedein and Barbara Helwing, declared the discovery of several numbers of kilns for baking clays and used it as a proof to claiming that a large number of potters lived in Bolaghi Gorge during the ancient times. "Archaeology excavation team in Bolaghi Gorge has succeeded in discovery of five clay bake ovens in the area so far. Just like the clays found from the Bacon era, these ovens enjoy a very high quality," said Mojgan Seyedein, Iranian head of the joint Iranian-German archaeology team in Bolaghi Gorge.
She also talked about some other accomplishments in this historical site during the archaeological excavations in areas no. 119, 73, and 131 of Bolaghi Gorge such as discovering some constructions belonging to the Achaemenid era, residential areas of the people during the Bacon era (5th millennium BC), and discovering the remains of some 7000-year-old skeletons such as a girl who was buried on her side.
Barbara Helwing, German head of the joint Iranian-German archaeology team in Bolaghi Gorge also talked about the discovery of a settlement area in this historic site which belonged to some tribes who lived there during the Bacon era. "There were several hypothesis about the exact location of a residential area which was believed to have belonged to the Bacon era; however, our excavations ultimately revealed that it actually existed in area no. 131 near the Sivand Dam," explained Helwing.
Among other achievements of this team of archaeologists were finding the remains of several skeletons and a mass grave containing 6 skeletons discovered by digging some deep trenches.
Iranian-German joint team has continued its excavations in Bolaghi Gorge historical site since winter 2006 under the supervision of Mojgan Seyedein from Iran and Barbara Helwing from Germany. This team of archaeologists is working alongside other Iranian and foreign experts to save the remaining evidence of Bolaghi Gorge before they are drowned by inundation of the nearby Sivand Dam.

Signet Ring Found in a Sassanid Grave in Mazandaran

2006-05-27T12:53:00.000-07:00

Tehran, 27 May 2006 (CHN) -- A grave belonging to the Sassanid era was discovered during sounding activities by archaeologists near Kangelou historical fortress in Mazandaran province in which a signet ring with Pahlavi-Sassanid script carved on it was found.
“This Sassanid grave was discovered during the sounding activities aimed at finding the pathway to Kangelou Fortress in Savad Kooh in the northern Iranian province of Mazandaran. This is a four-layer stone grave and the corpse was buried in a foetal position. In addition to the signet ring, some enameled clay dishes, metal, and glass relics have been found in this grave,” said Saman Sourtiji, member of academic assembly of Iran’s Archaeology Research Center of the Cultural Heritage and Tourism Department of Mazandaran province and head of the archaeology team in Kangelou Fortress.
According to Sourtiji, the grave was built with rubbles and mud mortar and the corpse was buried towards the west laid on its left side with hands near its mouth and knees bent.
This is a pre-historic burial method common before the Islamic period. However, this new discovery shows that this method of burial continued in Mazandaran province even after the Islamic era for over a century.
“The discovered ring in the grave is an opal ring which was used as a seal. An etched word can be seen on the opal which was decoded by Rasoul Bashash, master of ancient languages. According to Bashash, the word on the ring says “Farokhi” or “Farahi”, meaning luck or happiness, and it was believed that it would bring dignity and splendor for its owner,” explained Sourtiji.
According to Sourtiji, with this discovery, the Kangelou fortress archaeology team is determined to continue its excavations in the area to find the architectural remains of the people who lived near the fortress during the Sassanid era in order to learn more about the mysteries of this historical period in this area.

Achaemenid Irrigation Channel Discovered Near Persepolis

2006-05-25T13:06:00.000-07:00

Tehran, 25 May 2006 (CHN) -- Archaeological excavations and geophysical studies by the joint Iranian-French team in Fars province led to unearthing of an irrigation channel belonging to the Achaemenid era (648-330 BC) in an area between Persepolis and the city of Estakhr (pool) in Fars province.
“The remains of an irrigation channel belonging to the Achaemenid era have been discovered in the northern part of Persepolis which according to geophysical studies must have continued to the Estakhr city. Archaeological evidence shows that this channel was constructed using natural elements. However, in some parts the channel was blocked by hard cliffs but the people of the time scraped the stone and by using rubbles they constructed the path of the channel to direct the water of Polvar (Sivand) River to Marvdasht Plain where the ancient palace of Persepolis is located,” said Mohammad Feizkhah, Iranian head of Iranian-French archaeology team in Marvdasht, Fars province.
Last year the remains of another irrigation channel had been discovered in Persepolis which was used to collect water in the palace. However, this new discovered channel is longer than the previous one. “This channel is 4 kilometers in length and is considered a long channel considering the time during which it was constructed and the limited facilities that were available at that time. The channel started from Polvar River with a steep slope and the closer it got to Persepolis, the less steep it became which indicates that the purpose of its constructors was to speed up the transferring of water to Persepolis during that time,” added Feizkhah.
Archaeological excavations in Marvdasht Plain in Fars province are currently being carried out by a joint Iranian-French team. Moreover, a geophysical map is being prepared by experts which would help the archaeologists to get more familiar with the area near Persepolis. Last year this team succeeded in discovering some residential settlement areas belonging to the Achaemenid era in this region. Discovery of a big dam belonging to the same period was one of the other prominent accomplishments of this team of archaeologists and experts in this historical area.

Skeletons of a Mother & a Child Found at the Bolaghi Gorge

2006-05-25T00:55:00.000-07:00

Tehran, 25 May 2006 (CHN) -- Latest archaeological excavations at the Bolaghi Gorge historical site in Fars province led to discovery of the skeletons of a mother and her child who were buried in a joint grave some 7000 years ago. With this new discovery, the number of the discovered skeletons in Bolaghi Gorge reached to eight.
“The skeleton of the mother was found buried on her side with the baby embraced in her arms. These skeletons belong to the Bacon era, some 7000 years ago, and were discovered in the residential area of Bolaghi Gorge. The gender of the mother was determined during our studies, however we are not yet sure about that of the child,” said Mojgan Seyedein, Iranian head of Iran-German joint archaeology team in Bolaghi Gorge.
Prior to this, the grave of a girl, a mass grave with disordered skeletons of three people, and the complete skeleton of a young man had already been discovered in Bolaghi Gorge. All of these graves date back to the fifth millennium BC.
According to Seyedein, with the discovery of the grave of the mother and her baby, the number of the graves discovered in Bolaghi Gorge reached the number eight. She also said that all the discovered skeletons have been transferred to Parse-Pasargadae Research Center for further studies.
Iranian-German joint archaeological team has continued its excavations in Bolaghi Gorge historical site since winter 2006 under the supervision of Mojgan Seyedein from Iran and Barbara Helwing from Germany. They discovered some areas belonging to the Bacon era which were settlement areas of the inhabitants of Bolaghi Gorge some 7000 years ago.
The 18-kilometer Bolaghi Gorge is located 9 kilometers from the world heritage site of Pasargadae and is considered part of its landscape. Archaeological excavations started in Bolaghi Gorge when it was announced that the inundation of the newly constructed Sivand Dam would pose a real threat to Bolaghi Gorge and all the archaeological evidence which have been unearthed so far in this historical site. The salvation project in Bolaghi Gorge started with the engagement of eight international teams more than a year ago and continues to this day.

Remains of Darius’ Palace Unearthed in Bolaghi Gorge

2006-05-24T12:26:00.000-07:00

Tehran, 24 May 2006 (CHN) -- Following the discovery of the remains of a huge palace which is believed to date back to the Achaemenid era (648-33 BC) and is denoted to Darius the Great, by the Iran-French joint archaeological team at the Bolaghi Gorge in Fars province, archaeological excavations continued in the area which led to unearthing the remains of the palace.
“Prior to this, the remains of a summer residential palace belonging to the Achaemenid era was identified in area no. 85. However, archaeological excavations show that this palace was destructed due to the later constructions during the Sassanid and Safavid periods. Moreover, we were able to find the remains of an estimated 900-square-meter palace which for sure must have belonged to the Achaemenid kings and for some unknown reason was destroyed by bulldozers,” said Mohammad Taghi Atayi, Iranian head of Iran-France archaeological team in Bolaghi Gorge in the one-day Bolaghi Gorge archaeology seminar which was held today in National Museum of Iran with the attendance of heads of Iranian and foreign archaeological teams active at the Bolaghi Gorge.
Discovery of the base of a pillar and the platform of the palace assured archaeologists that this palace must have belonged to the Achaemenid era. According to Atayi, archaeologists have succeeded in saving some parts of the palace; however other parts of the palace such as the base of the pillars have been destroyed by bulldozers.
In this one day summit, Remy Boucharlat, the French head of Iranian-French joint archaeological team in Bolaghi Gorge, issued his report on their accomplishments in Bolaghi Gorge and the discovery of the Achaemenid palace in this historical site.
Among other participants in this one day seminar were heads of archaeological teams in historical sites of Kalat Qafkhaneh in Shahrud, Pardis Tepe in Varamin, Sang Tarashan in Khoram Abad, Chehr Abad salt mine in Zanjan, and Bandian Dargaz in Khorasan. The participants presented their reports on their archaeological findings across Iran. However, the main focus of this seminar was on the discoveries of the Bolaghi Gorge area, especially the newly discovered palace of Darius the Great.
Excavations at the Bolaghi Gorge started almost two years ago with the aim of saving the remains of archaeological evidence before the inundation of the nearby Sivand Dam. Currently, some groups from Italy, France, Germany, Poland, and a large number of Iranian archaeologists are busy on the site with the Bolaghi Gorge salvation project.

Discovery of an Ivory Scabbard in Lorestan

2006-05-24T12:16:00.000-07:00

Tehran, 24 May 2006 (CHN) -- Discovery of a scabbard made of ivory was one of the most important achievements during the third season of excavations in Sangtarashan in Lorestan province. This is the first time a scabbard with such a material belonging to the end of the Iron Age has been discovered in this area.
“The third season of excavations led to discovery of two iron swords and an iron axe. What makes these swords unique among all the other discoveries in this historical site so far is that there is a thin layer of decorative bone, most probably ivory, between these two swords. It is believed that this layer is the remains of the scabbard of one of these swords. It is the first time an ivory scabbard has been discovered in Lorestan province. These swords were kept in an appropriate climatic condition and therefore the bone decorations of the handles have remained almost intact which provides us the chance to restore them,” said Mehrdad Malekzadeh, head of excavation team in Sangtarashan historical site.
Malekzadeh explained “50 other bronze relics including a wide variety of war instruments such as different kinds of swords in different sizes, battle axes, and some dishes such as teapots, pitchers, bowls and glasses have also been discovered during the excavations.”
According to Malekzadeh, one of the other unique discoveries during this season of excavations is a very beautiful bronze glass with a very delicate etching work on its body and the design of a lotus flower on its bottom. “Although this glass has been partly damaged over time due to humidity and other natural factors, the etching work on it show that it is a unique object and we have sent it to the restoration laboratory of the Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization of Lorestan province to be studied more,” added Malekzadeh.
Some 400 square meters have been excavated during three seasons of archaeological excavations in Sangtarashan and some 350 ancient bronze relics have been unearthed so far in this historical site which date back to the end of the Iron Age. However, no architectural evidence or cemeteries have been discovered in this historical site so far. “Although no architectural evidence has been discovered so far in this area, we still believe that a prayer house might have existed in this region, although its exact place has remained a question to us,” explained Malekzadeh.
Sangtarashan historical site is located 52 kilometers from Khoram Abad on the height of “80 Pahloo” and “Taf” mountains and is considered an important archaeological site in Iran.

King Road does not pass near the Bolaghi Gorge

2006-05-23T15:08:00.000-07:00

Tehran, 23 May 2006 (CHN) -- Last week it was announced that the remains of a gigantic palace believed to have belonged to Darius the Great, the Achaemenid king who ordered the construction of Palace of Persepolis in Shiraz, was discovered during the archaeological excavations in Bolaghi Gorge. This very interesting news attracted the public attention and roused a lot of interest among the people both inside and outside the country.
This new discovery disproved some old theories about this ancient site. Prior to this, it was supposed that Bolaghi Gorge was the location of the King Road- the ancient major road built by order of Darius to connect Pasargadae to Persepolis and Susa. However, the recent geophysical studies prove that King Road never passed through Bolaghi Gorge and what was believed to have been the King Road is in fact only the remains of an ancient wall surrounding the Bolaghi Gorge which collapsed over time. Moreover, Mohammad Taghi Atayi, Iranian head of Iranian-Italian joint archaeology team in Bolaghi Gorge said that the fact that this wall was used as a shell keep to enclose Bolaghi Gorge and discovery of the remains of the palace of Darius in Bolaghi Gorge and many other evidence all indicate that Bolaghi Gorge was used as a hunting ground by Darius the Great and other Achaemenid kings some 2500 years ago.
“Last year we conducted a sounding measurment in some parts of what we thought was the King Road to examine the materials used in its construction. During our studies, we found adobe material with a large amount of white grits which for sure could not have been used for strengthening the road,” added Atayi.
According to Atayi, the white grits were not found in other parts of Bolaghi Gorge and most probably they were used for strengthening an important construction.
Archaeological studies on this road show that due to its narrow width and the fact that some parts of it do not have the characteristics of Achaemenid constructions, this part of Bolaghi Gorge which was believed to have been the King Road was used for other purposes.
Rejecting of the theory that Bolaghi Gorge was the location of King Road has brought up two new theories which have been proposed by Atayi and Remy Boucharlat, the French head of Iranian-French joint archaeology team in Bolaghi Gorge. Atayi believes that what was formerly believed to have been the King Road was a long wall which surrounded the valley and discovering the remains of an Achaemenid palace in this historical gorge proves that King Road was in fact a shell-keep for enclosing the area and Bolaghi Gorge was the hunting ground of Achaemenid kings.
On the other hand, Boucharlat believes that King Road was originally an irrigation channel. However, since no remains of sediments have been seen throughout this road yet, this idea has been suspended for now.
“Studies on the path of this road led to new findings about its real identity. What was known as the King Road started from the beginning of the Bolaghi Gorge and after covering the entire valley it ended in its original place. Now the question is, what kind of a road could it be that started and ended in the same place? On the other hand, these excavations resulted in discovery of several walls on the path of the road which in some parts have remained almost intact up to a height of 5 meters. All of these evidences show that ‘King Road’ was only a defensive wall for protecting the area of Bolaghi Gorge,” explained Atayi.
Atayi strongly believes that this discovered palace belonged to Darius the Great and the “King Road” is the remains of the shell-keep of Bolaghi Gorge and this area was used as a hunting ground by Achaemenid kings.
“Discovery of the palace’s pedestal with the Achaemenid-style floorings and its construction on a platform assured us that there must have been a palace belonging to the Achaemenid era in Bolaghi Gorge long before the actual discovery of the palace of Darius the Great. On the other hand, discovering the remains of a large number of clay canteens indicate that this palace was a temporary residential area for the Achaemenid kings who spend a short time there during the hunting season. The remains of clay objects in the area also show that some food reservoirs were established in this palace for the soldiers who guarded the palace. Today, we can strongly claim that Bolaghi Gorge was once the hunting ground of Achaemenid kings. Environmental evidence show that this area was much greener than what we see today and some animals used to live here during the ancient times.
Bolaghi Gorge is an endangered historical site in Fars province, near the ancient site of Pasargadea, threatened by the Sivand Dam built in its vicinity. Although the dam is not flooded yet, it is clear that inundation of the dam will drown this historic site almost completely. A large number of archaeological groups from different countries have rushed to the site to save this historic heritage as much as possible. At present, some groups from Italy, France, Germany, Poland, and a large number of Iranian archaeologists are busy on the site with the Bolaghi Gorge salvation project.

University of Pennsylvania to Translate History of Jiroft

2006-05-23T14:52:00.000-07:00

Tehran, 23 May 2006 (CHN) -- University of Pennsylvania is translating papers presented at the International Conference of Jiroft and will publish them in a single book. Adding to this announcement, Yousef Majidzadeh, head of the archaeology team in Jiroft, said: "These papers will be published in Persian and English in two volumes."

He added that translation of these articles will lead into a better understanding of the discoveries on the Eastern civilization in the world and will allow further study of this unknown culture. Furthermore, it will draw the attention of many scholars to the Halil Roud area.

Majidzadeh said that many of the scholars and archaeologists have learned about the recently discovered inscriptions in Jiroft and showed interest. He also said that he was invited by several universities in different countries such as Italy and Spain to participate in conferences relating to the subject, but due to financial issues he was unable to attend, adding that "it is a pity having to leave talks on these subjects at international conferences and seminars to foreigners like, say, an Italian."

The extensive excavations at Halil-Roud and the Konar Sandal sites close to the city of Jiroft have so far revealed some of the earliest places of urbanization with historical evidence dating back to as early as the third millennium BC.

Until now, the excavations at the northern and southern areas of Konar Sandal have led to the unearthing of a fortress, the oldest stone staircase in the world, inscriptions and graves. It is the hope that these discoveries will attract the attention of many scholars around the world to the missing civilization of Eastern Iran.

Delay in Excavation to Ruin Gilvan Prehistoric Site

2006-05-22T14:44:00.000-07:00

Tehran, 22 May 2006 (CHN) -- Nearly one month has passed since the accidental discovery and later identification of Gilvan ancient site in northern Iran. However, emergency excavations to save this prehistoric site have not started yet, the fact remains that this area is being gradually destroyed due to the very limited attention it receives from the authorities and this worries many people.
Last month, construction workers accidentally discovered a number of ancient artifacts in the village of Gilvan located in the Iranian northwestern province of Ardabil. It turned out that this place was the location of an ancient cemetery. Among the discovered artifacts were three gold coated metal daggers, 25 pieces of clays, ornamental beads, and several armaments plus the remains of a number of skeletons. Soon after, Iran’s Archaeology Research Center sent a team of its experts to examine the area and prepare a report. It was expected that some measures be taken right away to save this newly discovered site, but no major step has been taken yet.
Yahya Naghizadeh, head of the Cultural Heritage Police Department of Ardabil province, has repeatedly announced his concern over the present improper condition of these ancient artifacts. He blamed two main factors, rainfall and intense sunlight, that are causing most of the damages to this site and its artifacts. Naghizadeh said, “After archaeology experts visited this area and wrote their report we were hoping that an emergency excavation campaign be launched to save these invaluable ancient artifacts. Unfortunately, despite the fact that these experts had emphasized the importance of immediate excavations in this area in their report, the cultural heritage authorities have not yet announced their approval.”
Naghizadeh also mentioned that Cultural Heritage and Tourism Department of Ardabil province has established a temporary security station to safeguard this area and added, “Our experts are ready to take the responsibility of protecting this ancient site permanently but as long as nothing is announced by the cultural heritage authorities, this is all we can do.”
Pointing out to the locals’ increasing concerns over the fate of this ancient site, head of Ardabil’s Cultural Heritage Police Department said, “Aside from the natural factors which threaten this area, one of the major problems we have is that the owner of the land in which this ancient cemetery was found claims his share of the discovered artifacts. Considering all these factors, we urgently need the Archaeology Research Center to get involved and do anything that is needed immediately.”
Archaeologists have now confirmed that this ancient site and all the discovered artifacts in its vicinity belong to the first millennium BC or before.

Recent Archaeological Discoveries in Babak Fortress

2006-05-20T14:05:00.000-07:00

LONDON, May 20, 2006 (CAIS) -- Following the recent excavations in Babak fortress and removal of debris, some important parts of the fortress, which had previously been unknown, were unearthed. Archaeological excavations in Babak Fortress started in 2002, and some parts of this fortress were unearthed. The most important discovery has recently been made in this historical site which was finding of a staircase dating back to the beginning of Post-Sasanid period.
The main activities of the excavation team were excavating and restoring the western part of the main staircase. Due to the large number of Iranian pilgrims, this part of the staircase was not in a good condition and if nothing had been done to preserve it, it would have suffered a real harm in the future.
A 4.5x5.5 meter room with two windows, which must have been a guard room, was discovered during latest excavations in. There is a 35-meter corridor beside the room. This corridor leads to two towers which have already been unearthed. The discovered staircase and the two-floor building at the back of the corridor and towers all belong to the beginning of the Islamic era. Experts believe that this building might have been a reservoir or food storage.
Stonework with mortar was used in the construction of this double-floor building, except for the staircase. This was a common architectural style during the Sasanid dynastic era. Therefore, it cannot be said for sure that the staircase and building were constructed during the same historical period. Babak fortress is one of the most important historical sites of Iran, located in a mountainous region in north-west of the country.
This fortress also called the Eternal Fortress was built during the Sasanid dynastic era; however, it is famous for the 23-year Iranian residence and resistance of Persian hero Babak Khorramdin who fought against the Arab invaders.
One of the most dramatic periods of Iranian history occurred under Babak’s leadership from 816 to 837 CE. Eventually Babak, his wife, and his warriors were forced to leave their command post at the fortress under very difficult circumstances after 23 years of struggle.
During Babak’s martyrdom, the caliph's henchmen first cut off his legs and hands in order to convey the most devastating message to Iranians. Legend has it that Babak bravely rinsed his face with the blood pouring out of his wounds, thus depriving the caliph and the rest of the Arab invaders the opportunity to see that his face had turned pale due to heavy bleeding.
Every year in July, Iranians pilgrims visiting the place to hail their Persian hero, Babak, as the symbol of Iranian resistance against foreign and dictatorship rules. The pilgrims reading poetry including Shahnameh (the Book of Kings - Iran’s most famous epic) and playing traditional Persian music. They also lit up bonfires to follow traditional rituals of ancient Iran.

Safavid City to be Unearthed after 400 Years

2006-05-18T12:23:00.000-07:00

Tehran, 18 May 2006 (CHN) -- 400 years ago, a massive earthquake struck northern Iran and destroyed major parts of its cultural heritage site of Haft Daqnan. Archaeologists believed that there used to be a city with the same name in this historic site belonging to the Safavid era (1501–1736) which was buried after the earthquake hit the region. Now with the start of the second season of archaeological excavations in this historic site, archaeologists are determined to unearth the whole city.
The historic city of Haft Daqnan is located at a distance of 55 kilometers from the township of Someh Sara in northern Iranian province of Gilan. This ancient city was first excavated three years ago and its name has been inscribed in Iran’s Natioanl Heritage List.
“Historical texts show that this Safavid city was destroyed 400 years ago after a massive earthquake hit the present-day Gilan and was abandoned since then. During our first excavation season, archaeologists were able to unearth the remains of two clay bridges, a number of old buildings, ancient hills, an old public bath, and a watch tower all buried in the 60 hectare area of this historic city,” said Vali Jahani, head of the excavation team at the ancient site of Haft Daqnan.
According to Jahani, the purpose behind the start of the excavations in this historic site was to determine its limits and unearthing some historic relics left from the time the city was an active center. Archaeological evidence show that the city was circular in shape and its residential areas were bound by two rivers connected together through two clay bridges.
Regarding the findings of the year 2003 which was the first time archaeologists examined the area, Jahani said, “We accidentally ran into 17 clay and porcelain dishes dumped in a garbage pit at a depth of only three meters from the ground level. It seems that the residents of this city discarded their clay dishes when they imported chinaware from China to Iran.”
Jahani also said that 40 percent of this city was destroyed due to construction of a road close to it while the remaining 60 percent is buried by forests. In addition, parts of this Safavid city were destroyed as a result of illegal excavations by the smugglers.
Since most of the excavations in Gilan province have taken place in the mountainous area and very few focused on the plains, excavations in the city of Haft Daqnan would answer a lot of questions about the Islamic era in this province.

Stolen Pillar Capital of Persepolis Returned Home

2006-05-16T12:39:00.000-07:00

Tehran, 16 May 2006 (CHN) -- A pillar capital which was stolen from the palace of Persepolis in Fars province and found kilometers away in its neighbor province, Kerman, was returned by Cultural Heritage and Tourism Department of Kerman Province to where it belongs.
“This pillar capital was seized by the police department in an armed conflict with a number of drug smugglers who were intending to cross the border with this precious object. Luckily the police acted right away and confiscated this pillar capital and gave it to the Cultural Heritage and Tourism Department of Kerman Province. The Department then returned it to its original place a few days ago,” said Hossein Rashidzadeh, head of the cultural heritage police department of Kerman.
Along with this pillar capital, a large number of guns, explosives, and some stolen vehicles were seized from these drug smugglers by the cultural heritage police department of Kerman province.
According to Rashidzadeh, the city’s court is currently considering what charges to press against these smugglers and is going to release a statement soon.
Persepolis Palace Complex is one of the most prominent and splendid historical sites of Iran which dates back to the Achaemenid era (648 BC–330 BC). The exact date of its construction is unknown, but it is assumed that Darius the Great, the Achaemenid king, began working on the platforms and the structures of Persepolis between 518 and 516 BC as the seat of his vast empire.
The construction of Persepolis took almost a century. However, the splendor of Persepolis lasted only two centuries before its majestic halls and residential palaces perished in flames when Alexander conquered and looted this palace in 335 BC and according to Plutarch carried away its treasures on 20,000 mules and 5,000 camels. However, Alexander was not the only one who plundered Persepolis, although he is responsible for most of the damages caused to this historical heritage of Persia. During the past centuries, smugglers have repeatedly stolen parts of the palace of Persepolis and have sold them to several museums and private collection owners outside the country. Iran’s Cultural Heritage Police Department is trying hard to save the remaining of this gorgeous looking palace, which was once the capital of the Persian Empire, from being plundered again.

Palace of Darius the Great Discovered in Bolaghi Gorge

2006-05-15T14:44:00.000-07:00

Tehran, 15 May 2006 (CHN) -- Iranian-French joint archaeology team at Bolaghi Gorge succeeded in discovering and identifying the remains of a gigantic palace, believed to be from the Achaemenid era (648 BC–330 BC), during their second season of excavations in the area.“Before the start of this season of excavations, our geophysical tests in area number 33 of Bolaghi Gorge had revealed to us the possible existence of a huge building near the Sivand Dam. Clay artifacts found in this area showed that this building used to be the residential palace of the Achaemenid kings.
With the start of the new excavation season, we resumed our excavations in area number 33 with this attitude,” said Mohammad Taghi Ataee, head of the Iranian-French joint archaeology team at Bolaghi Gorge.“After we started our excavations in the historic hill where this monument is located, we realized that it consisted of one historic layer only. Since no other layers were constructed on top of this layer, archaeologists were hoping to unearth the entire palace intact. However, after they made their trenches they got to a number of wells which had been dug by illegal smugglers and also traces of bulldozers which had caused serious damage to this ancient Achaemenid palace,” said Ataee.
Plundering of archaeological sites by the smugglers has become a common issue in archaeology. However, according to Ataee, archaeologists believe that illegal diggers cannot be held responsible for destroying the palace by bulldozers, and it was a deliberate act by an unknown person or group of people who intended to devastate this place for a reason that is not clear for archaeologists.
“The archaeology team kept removing the debris caused by the bulldozers until they got to the base of a pillar similar to those used in the construction of the palace of Persepolis in Fars province, although smaller in size. The base of this pillar which looks like an inverted bell is built by the same stones used in the construction of Persepolis. The stone is so carefully varnished that one may clearly see the reflection of oneself in it,” added Ataee.
The height of this discovered base is 35 centimeters and it has a diameter of 50 centimeters. There are signs on this base which were meant to level it off, a method commonly practiced during the Achaemenid era.
“Based on the evidence, this palace must have belonged to either Darius the Great, the Achaemenid King who ruled between 521 and 486 BC and built the famous Palace of Persepolis, or the kings who preceded him. However, it is more likely that the palace belonged to Darius,” said Ataee.
In addition to this pillar base, the royal seat of this palace, built using soil and condensed sand, several pieces of clay bricks, and three clay walls constructed in a row were discovered by the archaeologists. The top of the walls has been destroyed by bulldozers; however, archaeologists are hoping to find the construction plan of this palace by studying these walls more carefully. Regarding the size of these clay bricks, Ataee said, “These clay bricks are in different size, some are 35 by 33 cm, some 17 by 33, and some others are 33 by 33 centimeters. They were probably used to cover the floor.”
Bolaghi Gorge is an endangered historical site in Fars province, near the ancient site of Pasargade, threatened by the Sivand Dam built in its vicinity. Although the dam is not flooded yet, it is clear that with its inauguration Iran will say farewell to one of its most valuable cultural heritage sites. Although Ataee announced that inauguration of the Sivand Dam will not directly affect this Achaemenid Palace since it is located in an area which is relatively far from the Sivand Dam, the humidity caused by the dam will certainly destroy this palace in a long run. The Iranian-French archaeological team will continue its excavations at the Bolaghi Gorge until June 5 to save this ancient site as much as possible before the inauguration of the dam, the date of which has not been announced yet.

Putting an End to Explosive Activities near Sassanid Castle

2006-05-14T09:40:00.000-07:00

Tehran, 14 May 2006 (CHN) -- It had been 30 years that the Sassanid fortress of Da va Dokhtar in Khuzestan province was being rocked by a series of explosions set off in its vicinity by a plaster company. However, following a complaint submitted recently to the court by the Cultural Heritage and Tourism Department of Ramhormoz, the support received by the governor’s office, and the visit of some officials from this fortress, Iranian cultural heritage authorities ordered the plaster company of Ramhormorz to stop its explosive activities since they were found to be detrimental, causing irreplaceable harm to this ancient Sassanid building.

“Da va Dokhtar Fortress dates back to the Sassanid era (226–650 AD) and was constructed according to the ancient Roman architectural style. This historic fortress is located 5 kilometers north of the city of Ramhormoz in the southwestern province of Khuzestan and is built on the mountain-skirts of a gypsum mountain. Explosive activities of a plaster company in this mountain over the past 30 years to extract plaster for construction purposes resulted in the destruction of this ancient fortress to a large extent. Therefore, a lawsuit was filed which is still in process to stop the activities of this company. Later on, the governor’s office asked the owners of the plaster company to either stop their blasting operations or find an alternative for exploiting plaster from this mountain which would not pose any threat to the ancient Sassanid fortress of Da va Dokhtar. As a result, the company owners accepted to seize their activities until a safer way is found to extract plaster from the mountain,” said Fardin Bigdeli, Director of the Cultural Heritage and Tourism Department of Ramhormoz.

Prior to this, continuous explosions caused by this plaster company had not only resulted in the increasing destruction of the Da va Dokhtar Fortress, it also resulted in environmental problems in the area. The plaster company has therefore been asked to pay compensations for the damages caused to both the natural environment and cultural heritage of the region. The compensation will be used for renovation of the Sassanid fortress.

According to Bigdeli, the explosions which occurred in this mountain over the past 30 years account for much of the damages caused to the Da va Dokhtar Fortress. “This fortress was consisted of two parts, one of which has completely been ruined. There used to be a wall connecting the two parts of this fortress which was 4 meters in height and had 30 defense stations, from which not much has remained,” added Bigdeli. He also noted that the fortress was built to watch over caravans carrying merchandize to Susa from Pasargadae. Palace guards in the area were stationed in this fortress.

“The plaster company had previously announced that its activities are conducted in an area far from the fortress and therefore pose no threat to this ancient citadel. However, after the cultural heritage authorities visited the Da va Dokhtar Fortress, they realized that the explosive activities of the plaster company actually take place only 400 kilometers from this fortress; thus immediate actions must be taken to prevent the fortress from further destruction,” said Bigdeli.

Although no statement has been released by the court ordering the stop of activities of the plaster company, the governor of Ramhormoz and the city’s Cultural Heritage and Tourism Department have asked the company to seize its activities until the court announces its decision officially.

“Da va Dokhtar”, literary meaning “mother and daughter”, is a major tourist attraction in Ramhormoz and several thousand tourists visit this city to see the monument each year. Six years ago, this fortress was registered as a national cultural heritage site and thus it is the responsibility of Iran’s Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization to preserve this unique Sassanid heritage.

The Core of Daqyanous City Appeared

2006-05-14T09:36:00.000-07:00

Tehran, 13 May 2006 (CHN) -- Latest excavations in city of Daqyanous, north of Jiroft in Kerman province, led to the discovery of the core of this city including a mosque, bazaar, industrial areas, cemetery, and irrigation channels. Discovery of jars and enameled, lapis, and golden bowls indicate the proper economic situation of the people of Daqyanous city during the Middle Islamic period and their interests in keeping luxurious articles.

“Excavations revealed that the minaret of the Jame (Grand) Mosque of the ancient Daqyanous city was four meters in diameter and was constructed from brick, mortar and plaster and there is a spiral staircase on its northern side. We also succeeded in unearthing the main parts of the public bathroom, the bazaar, the passageway, and the city square at a distance of 340 meters southwest of the Jame Mosque. These excavations show that the shops in the bazaar were constructed to face the open areas and the storage places were somewhere in the back of the bazaar connected to each other through narrow passageways. In addition, we discovered an architectural building, but its usage is not yet known for us,” said Hamideh Choobak, head of archeology team in city of Daqyanous.

According to Choobak, some clay ornaments in circle and square shapes with the arabesque design of flowers and bushes, a piece of a round stucco decoration of a red flower, and a broken piece of clay on which a prayer was written with black ink were the other discoveries during the third season of excavations in the city of Daqyanuos.

Prior to this, some statuettes of men and women and the statue of a torso of an instrumentalist woman were discovered in the ancient public bathroom of Daquayous. “The dress style and the design of the necklace of the woman belonged to the Parthian-Sassanid era which indicates the continuation of the pre-Islamic art style to the Seljuk era (900 years ago). Considering that it was common during the Parthian and Sassanid era to carve images of instrumentalist women on silver dishes, by studying the new discoveries in Daqyanous city we can see how they were used in the decorations of the buildings during the Seljuk era as well,” explained Choobak.

Choobak also explained that researches and studies on Daqyanous historical site indicate that this city flourished at the beginning of the Islamic period. “In the ancient times, Jiroft had relations with some important civilizations such as China, India, Mesopotamia, Khorasan, and Fars and its glory lasted to the Seljuk era,” added Choobak.

Choobak believes that the archeological excavations in Daqyanous show the dignity and high economical situation of the city during the ancient times and the urban facilities indicate that its people enjoyed a high quality urbanization and lifestyle during that period. Due to its prosperous economical situation, this ancient city was always plundered by invaders.

The Islamic city of Daqyanous, located north of the city of Jiroft in Kerman province, is the only city dating back to prehistoric times which was registered as a national heritage some 70 years ago. Considering its 40-kilometer area, this city is considered one of the biggest Islamic cities, although its central part is only 12 kilometers.

The third season of archeological excavations in Daqyanous city, otherwise known as the Old Jiroft, started from 17th of March 2006 and continued to 30th of April.

Another Dam Construction, Another Crime Against Iranian Heritage

2006-05-10T12:27:00.000-07:00

LONDON, May 10 2006(CAIS) -- Iran’s Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization (ICHTO) has said that with the commissioning the newly-built dam ’Jareh’ in Ramhormuz, Khuzestan province, whose construction has shown 80 percent progress, an 1,700-year old Sasanid Hormuz Dam, will be submerged. According to the Persian daily ’Iran’, the Sasanid dam, which is 19 meters high and has a crown of 80 meters, is situated 20 kms from Ramhormuz on the Zard (yellow) River. The ancient dam has aqueducts as well as sewers and an ancient laundry is located nearby. The dam also used to irrigate surrounding farmlands.
Director of the Cultural Heritage and Tourism Department in Ramhormuz, Fardin Bigdeli said that Ministry of Energy has built a reservoir dam in the area without conducting relevant studies and coordinating the operations with the ICHTO. He said that several farmers have been forced to abandon the area because of the construction of the new dam. That is why no one can claim that the dam would benefit agriculture, Bigdeli added.
“Ministry of Energy on behalf of of the regime is responsible for conducting research on every project before implementing them, but, they did not do so in the case of Jareh Dam. After the ICHTO objected to the ministry against the project, they agreed to hire consultants to study the complaint but practical steps have not yet been taken in this respect.“
He praised the skills of the Iranians during the Sasanid dynasty which culminated in the construction of the dam. “The Iranian engineers during the Sasanian dynasty conducted studies before selecting the location of the dam. Modern science and technology will also confirm the correctness of their decision,“ he stated.
Bigdeli said that the construction of the 1,700-year dam is arduous enough given the strength of construction materials applied in the structure. He said that egg yolks have been used in the material in addition to plaster and lime. He stated that houses built in the neighborhood of the ancient dam relate to the Safavid dynastic era (1502-1736 CE) and all these structures will go under water once the newly-built dam is filled with water.
The official noted that the Sasanid dam was registered on the ICHTO cultural heritage list in 1999 and the organization is responsible for its protection. He said that experts believe that superior technology is required to save the Sasanid dam, but the Ministry of Energy acting on behalf of the government has prevented photography in the area.
The ministry has promised to hire consultants to look into ways of prevent the ancient dam from being submerged, but, since no action has been taken yet, the ICHTO will recruit consultants for the purpose at the expense of Ministry of Energy, he concluded.

Dashtestan Achaemenid Quarry to be Safe Forever

2006-05-10T08:04:00.000-07:00

Tehran, 10 May 2006 (CHN) -- Following an announcement by experts concerning the gradual destruction of Puzeh Palangi stone mine in Dashtestan, a city in the southwestern province of Bushehr, Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization of this province has taken measures to save this ancient quarry which is believed to have been a valuable source for construction purposes during the Achaemeid era (648 BC–330 BC). Puzeh Palangi historical quarry is an ancient and unique stone mine which is considered to be one of the most important ancient mines due to its special characteristics. Studies on this mine’s strong stones showed that they are very similar to those used in the construction of Bardak Siah Castle, which was once the royal residence of the Achaemenid kings.
Prior to this, it had been announced that this ancient mine is under threat as some parts of it were destroyed due to the activities of a cement company built nearby and also the ignorance of some cultural heritage authorities.
Last month, CHN attracted the attention of authorities of the Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization to the Puzeh Palangi Quarry when it published several reports about the present conditions of this endangered historical mine. Ardeshir Mohammadi, director of the Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization of Boushehr province, said that the Organization is determined to save this ancient mine, and that in a near future it would no longer be threatened provided that some security measures be taken right away.

“According to the owner of the mine, only some basic excavations were carried out in the region, which were stopped immediately by the order of ICHTO and Ministry of Industry and Mine,” said Mohammadi.
Mohammadi also declared that cultural heritage guards will be settled in the area to protect the mine and they are also determined to prepare a full file on the Pouze Palangi mine to register it in the list of Iran’s National Heritage. This way the mine would be safe forever.

Accidental Discovery of Ancient Armaments in Ardabil

2006-05-08T23:34:00.000-07:00

Tehran, 8 May 2006 (CHN) -- Widening the road of Gilvan village in Ardabil province led to the accidental discovery of some ancient graves and historical relics. Soon after this discovery, a group of experts from Iran’s Archaeology Research Center were dispatched to this region to examine these relics. “As soon as we learned about this accidental discovery, we sent a letter to the Archaeology Research Center and informed its experts of the case and asked them to send some of their specialists to the region as soon as possible to study these ancient objects in detail and continue excavations in the area if necessary,” said Yahya Naghizadeh, head of the Cultural Heritage Police Department of Ardabil province to CHN.
After the archaeologists settled in the area, they started their excavations which resulted in the discovery of large numbers of historical relics including three gold coated metal daggers, 25 clay pieces, ornamental beads, and metal armaments.
“For the time being, all construction activities have been stopped in the area to bring it under strict protection until the Archaeology Research Center decides what it wants to do with this historic site,” added Naghizadeh.
Considering that the raining season has already started in the area, Naghizadeh believes that the rainfall might in fact cause serious damage to this historical site, and therefore it is necessary to take an action within the shortest time.
“After visiting the site, the expert team will prepare a report on the situation of this historical site and then the final decision will be made by the Archeology Research Center,” explained Karim Alizadeh, head of the dispatched team to Gilvan historical site. Based on the historical evidence unearthed so far in this site, archaeologists believe that the history of Gilvan goes back to at least first millennium BC.

Discovery of Large Number of Ancient Relics in Minab

2006-05-07T23:34:00.000-07:00

Tehran, 7 May 2006 (CHN) -- During their latest excavations in Minab and Roudan in Hormozgan province, southern Iran, archaeologists succeeded in discovery of 15 ornamentations such as opal necklaces, bronze bracelet, and bronze arrow heads dating back to 3000 years ago as well as 40 Islamic coins.“40 coins have been discovered so far during the archaeological excavations in Minab and Roudan historical sites. Since the coins were covered by a thick layer of sediment over time, and due to the humidity of the region, it is not easy to determine the exact time of their coinage. However, studies on these coins indicate that they must have belonged to the Ilkhanid era (1256-1353 AD) to the Safavid period (1502-1736 AD) and it is believed that they belonged to the governors of ancient Hormoz. These excavations have also resulted in discovery of some opal beads, a bonze bracelet, and bronze arrow heads which belong to the first millennium BC together with some clay dishes belonging to the Safavid period,” said Siamak Sarlak, archaeologist and head of the excavation team in Minab and Roudan.
Prior to this discovery, archaeologists succeeded in finding the place called “the forgotten Hormoz” which was the location of the Old Hormoz lost for 700 years. After the collapse of Siraf Port, the old Hormoz Port became a booming trade center among the Persian Gulf regional states. Following the invasion of Mongols it became abandoned and lost its dignity and was forgotten for almost 700 years. The major part of the historical Hormoz Port was discovered during the recent archeological excavations. Until this discovery, Minab was believed to be the place of the ancient Hormoz but recent archaeological excavations indicate that it was only used as a summer settlement area for the old Hormoz settlers.
Minab Plain is located near the town of Minab in the southern province of Hormozgan. A large number of historical and cultural evidence such as a 3000-year-old cemetery were discovered in this plain during excavations by archaeologists.

Skeletons of Pre-Historic Children to be Examined in Britain

2006-05-04T14:02:00.000-07:00

Tehran, 4 May 2006 (CHN) -- In a joint project, experts of Iran’s Archaeological Research Center and the archaeo-anthropology department of University of New Castle in Britain will study in detail the skeletons of the children belonging to the pre-historic periods which have been unearthed in different archaeological sites found during the past few years.
“Discovery of a large number of skeletons of children during archaeological excavations in different sites of Iran indicates the high rate of child death during the pre-historic periods. Considering the importance of these archaeological discoveries, we decided to examine them in more detail and to study their pathology in order to determine the reasons for their early death. Therefore, Iran’s Archaeology Research Center corresponded with the University of New Castle in Britain to perform a joint study with the archaeo-anthropology department of this university on the skeletons of the children which have been discovered so far. These studies would result in discovery of the condition of their growth, nourishment, and the reasons for their death,” said Farzad Forouzanfar, head of the anthropology department of Iran’s Archaeology Research Center.
Most of these skeletons were unearthed in the pre-historic site of Burnt City in Sistan va Baluchestan province. Recent archaeological excavations revealed the skeletons of 11 children and a large number of embryos in this historical site.
According to Forouzanfar, aside from the skeletons found earlier, some skeletons of children have recently been discovered in Qoli Darvish historical site in Qom province which can be added to the list. “Discovery of a jar burial in the floor of one of the houses belonging to the third millennium BC shows that we should expect more similar methods of burials in this pre-historical site,” added Forouzanfar.

Discovery of 12 Forges in Lengeh Port

2006-05-03T12:31:00.000-07:00

Tehran, 3 May 2006 (CHN) -- Archaeological excavations in Lengeh Port in Hormozgan province led to the discovery of 12 forges similar to those which had already been discovered in Iran’s Central Plateau especially in Kerman and Yazd provinces. The discovered forges in the Central Plateau belong to the third to first millennium BC and the beginning of urbanization. However, so far archaeologists have not been successful in determining the exact age of these new discovered ones. Considering that urbanization started from the third millennium BC in Kerman province, archaeologists are hoping to trace the starting point of urbanization in Lengeh as well, said Davud Abian, head of archaeology excavation team in Lengeh Port.
Based on the archaeological studies, during the third millennium BC when urbanization gradually came into existence in the Central Plateau of Iran, the civilization of Halil Rud was spread to Kahnouj and Jazmourian regions. On the other hand, the culture of Hirmand civilization was stretched between Zabul in Sistan va Baluchistan province and Kabul in Afghanistan and continued to Sind River in Pakistan. Also from the west side, the Burnt City was somehow connected through Jiroft’s civilization to the civilizations formed in Khuzestan, Mesopotamia, and regions of West Asia .
Now with this new discovery in Lengh Port, archaeologists believe that evidence of Halil Rud civilization in Jiroft can be traced in Lengeh Port and this way the lost chain of the relations between the civilizations of the southeast with those of the west of Iran would be found. Considering the importance of shipping during the Achaemenid era, archaeologists are looking to find traces of the Achaemenid and Sassanid cultures in Lengeh Port.
Bandar-e-Lengeh (Lengeh port) coastal zone is part of the Persian Gulf and is located about 220 kilometers west of Bandar Abbas in Hormozgan province, southern Iran.

Shapur the Great Statue to Be Reinstalled

2006-05-03T12:21:00.000-07:00

LONDON, May 3 2006 (CAIS) -- A statue of the Sasanid King of Kings, Shapour the Great which was located at a cave in the historical site of Tang-e Chogan near Bishapur in Fars province will be repaired and installed on its original pedestal. Archaeologists came across the statue during excavations conducted in the early 20th century. The statue which had fallen down was repaired. Although the repair work was inadequate, the statue was protected from being destroyed completely.
Research and Maintenance Center of Iran’s Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization (ICHTO) drew up a plan to repair the statue in cooperation with Tehran University in 2005 and an expert specializing in repairing stone statue, Alireza Bahreman was assigned with implementing the project. Bahreman told ISNA said that the project was not implemented last year due to lack of fund, but, part of the budget was made available in the current Iranian year (started March 21) to initiate lab tests on repairing the fragmented sections of the statue and reinstalling it in its original location. He said that the seven-meter high statue was made by cutting the rock in the cave but this rock fell to pieces in the course of time. In 7th century after the invasion of Iran by Arabs and collapse of the Sasanid dynasty, this grand statue was pulled down by invaders and a part of one of its legs was broken. About 70 years ago, again, parts of his arms were also broken. The statue had been lying on the ground for about 14 centuries when about 30 years ago a group of relics raised it again on its feet and fixed his foot with iron and cement.
Since 1979 the statue was left unprotected and the barrier which was set up in the area before revolution to protect the cave and its relics, has been removed and left to be destroyed.

3000-Year-Old Cemetery Discovered in Minab

2006-05-02T18:24:00.000-07:00

Tehran, 2 May 2006 (CHN) -- An ancient cemetery belonging to the first millennium BC was discovered during archaeological excavations in Minab Plain, Hormozgan Province. All the corpse were buried in a horizontal position on the surface of a cliff although the direction towards which they were buried varies. Considering the large number of dirt hills in the area, archaeologists believe that burying the corpse on the cliff surface indicates the people’s belief in the holiness of soil in this area. Many of these graves had already been destroyed by illegal diggers.

“This season of excavations resulted in the discovery of a 100 hectare historical cemetery in the area. The graves of this cemetery have four layers and the corpses were put into a rock surface. After the burial was finished the graves were covered with a stone block on which a pile of rubbles were put in the form of a hill. These kinds of graves were called Hill Grave. The unique characteristic of this kind of cemetery is that the corpse was not buried in earth and a stone grave was constructed to put the dead body in it. While the surrounding area of this cemetery enjoyed a soft earth, the inhabitants of this area preferred not to bury their dead in the soil. We are not sure about the reason behind this but maybe it was because soil was a holly thing to them and they didn’t want to ruin it,” said Siamak Sarlak, archaeologists and head of excavation team in Minab and Roudan.

According to Sarlak, during the illegal excavations by the smugglers it has been revealed that the burial gifts were put above the head of the dead.

“The graves are not in a specified direction and we still don’t know why they were built so. However, some archaeologists believe that during this period the body was buried towards the sun, therefore the direction of the grave depended on the location of the sun in the sky at the time of burial,” explained Sarlak. Cliff burial was a common burial method during the Achaemenid era which lasted to the Sassanid period as well. However, during the Parthian era, catacomb burial was a prevalent burial method.

Minab Plain is one of the biggest plains in Hormozgan province, south of Iran, which has a lot of historical sites, some of which have been identified so far. Last year Iranian and British archaeologists found a town dating back to Parthian period while working on an archaeological site in Minab Plain.

Having a history of more than a hundred thousand years, the Minab Plain was the settlement of different groups of people in the course of history. The team of archaeologists in Minab is determined to identify the remaining historical sites in order to and provide the archeological map of this city.

Discovery of a Glassblowing Workshops in Harireh

2006-05-01T13:29:00.000-07:00

Tehran, 1 May 2006 (CHN) -- Latest archeological excavations in Harireh historical city in Kish Island, located in the Persian Gulf, led to the discovery of a series of glassblowing workshops. Prior to this, it was believed that Harireh was merely dependant on trade relations with other countries through waterways. However, with this new discovery, archaeologists concluded that the city must have been a center for mass productions of glassworks which were exported to other countries as well during the ancient times. One of the city’s major passageways as well as a water reservoir were also discovered during the recent excavations in Harireh.
“We started our excavations in two different parts of the Harireh historical city which resulted in the discovery of a number of glassblowing workshops and a major passageway. Discovery of a large amount of glass near these workshops indicates the mass production of glass artifacts in this area,” said Simin Lakpour, head of archeology team in Harireh. Lakpour also believes that the different discovered glass articles in the area such as glass bracelets, glass dishes, perfume holder, and other glass instruments shows the variety of productions in these workshops.
“During the previous season of archaeological excavations in this city, the mosque of Harireh was discovered by archeologists. In the past, mosques used to be considered the hearts of the cities where most of the gatherings were held by the locals during which major decisions were made. Therefore, the centers for economic activities were mostly situated somewhere near the mosques, which is why we decided to concentrate our excavations in this area which led to the discovery of some important economic structures. Prior to this, it was supposed that Harireh city acted merely as a trade broker between the neighboring countries and its economy was dependant on trade interactions. However, discovery of the glassblowing workshops in the area shows that this city was also a mass productive center for glass articles which were exported to other countries as well,” said Zarin Taj Sheibani, archeologist.
Sheibani also explained that a number of urgent excavation teams were dispatched to this area to carry out excavations in order to protect the city of Harireh from the construction activities of the developing projects of Free Land Zones which has led to destruction of 30 hectares of the city so far. “Lauders have leveled the surface layers of the city. Therefore, we started some emergency excavations in four parts of the city which resulted in discovery of some valuable relics and convinced them to stop their development activities in this area,” added Sheibani.
According to Sheibani, this is the first systematic and scientific archaeological study on this city. “The main goal of these excavations in this area is to find out how the city came into existence and to find its urbanization infrastructures. Archeologists also are trying to find the different means through which the city was connected to the other parts of the world, and how its inhabitants provided their water supplies, etc.,” said Sheibani.
Harireh city located in Kish Island in Hormozgan province was established during the Ilkhanid period (1256-1349 AD). Harireh is the only Ilkhanid city with a settlement context and has urban characteristics. The traces of Ale Bouye, Seljuk, and Ilkhanid periods exist in the region. Existence of some artifacts and the coins of different countries indicate that Harireh acted as a trace broker between China and North African countries. Discovery of clays, golden ornamentations, and unique stucco decorations show the developed economy of the city some 700 years ago. It is believed that the city might have been abandoned due to an earthquake which hit the area in the past.

7000-Year-Old Mass Grave Discovered in Bolaghi Gorge

2006-04-30T13:50:00.000-07:00

Tehran, 30 April 2006 (CHN) -- Archaeological excavations at the Bolaghi Gorge historical site led to the discovery of the remains of three skeletons dating back to 5000 BC in a single grave in the area number 131 at the closest point to the Sivand Dam. “Existence of three skulls and disordered bones shows that it must have been a mass grave. The discovered clays in this grave indicate that the skeletons found here belong to the Bacon era (fifth to fourth millennium BC). This mass grave was discovered in area number 131 which is the closest archeological site to the Sivand Dam. Two big and two small clay dishes have also been found in this grave,” said Mojgan Seyedein, Iranian head of the Iranian-German joint archaeology team in Bolaghi Gorge.

Prior to this, the remains of a skeleton of a young girl belonging to the Bacon era was discovered in area number 73 also by the joint Iranian-German team. According to Seyedein, the only difference between the skeletons found recently with that of the girl is that the skeleton of the girl was discovered almost intact while the ones which were discovered in their latest excavations are fragmented.

“Just like the skeleton of the Sivand Dam which is believed to have been a settlement area belonging to the fifth millennium BC, the team will continue their excavations until the end of May. Up until now, the joint team of archaeologists has discovered 5 clay ovens belonging to the fifth millennium BC in area number 73. The 18-kilometer Bolaghi Gorge is located 9 kilometers from the world heritage site of Pasargadae and is considered part of its landscape. Archaeological excavations in Bolaghi Gorge started when experts learned of the hazards the newly constructed Sivand Dam poses to this historical site. However, based on an agreement between Iran’s Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization and the dam authorities, the Sivand Dam has to wait for the archaeologists to finish their excavations before it floods the area.

Stolen Ancient Goblet from Jiroft Found in Yazd

2006-04-29T23:19:00.000-07:00

Tehran, 29 April 2006 (CHN) -- A 5000-year-old stone goblet with the design of two lions, two scorpions, and four wolves carved on it which had been stolen by illegal smugglers from Jiroft was seized in the city of Bafgh in Yazd province by the police department. According to Fotouhi, the director of the Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization of Bafgh, the height of this goblet is between 20 to 24 centimeters and the lion heads on the two sides of it served as handles.
Experts believe that the discovery of this goblet and other stone artifacts can be used as a proof to Iran’s claim in international courts for the ownership of the articles which were smuggled across Iran’s borders to other countries and are currently being kept in some of the world museums.
Halil Rud historical site, located on the basin of Halil Rud River in Kerman province, once enjoyed a rich civilization. A large number of stone, clay and architectural remains have been discovered during the excavations in this historical site so far. The wide plundering of the historical and archeological relics by smugglers led to the loss of many valuable evidences. Most of these historical relics were taken outside the country illegally and are being kept in galleries outside Iran. Unfortunately, those who now possess these artifacts deny that they actually belong to Jiroft’s civilization and thus refuse to give them back to Iran. To bring these ancient relics back to the country, Iran has asked for an international court to redeem its stolen historical artifacts.
Plundering of Matot Abad cemetery by the smugglers which was an unbelievable disaster in the history of archeology attracted the attention of the public to this region for the first time. The discovered stone objects in Jiroft belonging to the first half of the third millennium BC point to the developed art of carving on stones at that time which was more developed than that of Mesopotamia.
Analytical studies on relics found in Jiroft in a research center in the United States indicate that the discovered materials in this region date back to the third millennium BC. Considering an inscription found earlier in the region, archeologists believe that the writing language of Jiroft is more ancient than that of Mesopotamia and that the script language was transferred to Mesopotamia from this region.

Discovery of a Cemetery to Unveil People’s Migration Path

2006-04-28T23:41:00.000-07:00

Tehran, 28 April 2006 (CHN) -- Discovery of a 3200-year-old cemetery in Zarin Abad near Sari in Mazandaran province, revealed the migration path of those who were buried in Kharand historical cemetery in the nearby city of Semnan. Prior to this discovery, it was believed that cultural domain of the Kharand nomads only covered an area between Semnan plain and low heights of Caspian Sea southern shores. However, discovery of Zarin Abad cemetery in Sari which exhibits similar characteristics to that of Kharand showed that the culture of the ancient inhabitants of Kharand extends well beyond what had previously been assumed. Evidence of the existence of these ethnic groups can be traced in five northern provinces of Iran. Therefore, special studies were conducted in these provinces which include Golestan, Mazandaran, Semnan, Tehran, and Gilan to identify the path of migration of these tribes. Some similar sites to Kharand cemetery had already been discovered during previous archeological excavations in different parts of Iran’s Plateau; but the newly discovered cemetery in Zarin Abad is the most important of all which clearly shows evidence of culture of the people of Kharand miles away.

According to Abdolmotaleb Sharifi, head of excavation team in historical cemetery of Kharand, the recent excavations aimed at discovering different areas belonging to the Iron Age. He also said that the studies in Zarin Abad cemetery showed a lot of similarities between this cemetery with that of Kharand. Sharifi believes that there is a high possibility of finding more historical sites similar to that of Kharand Cemetery in other nearby provinces mentioned before.

Considering their characteristics and historical background, Zarin Abad and Kharand cemeteries are considered unique in Iran. Archeological studies in these cemeteries resulted in some strange discoveries about the cultural roots of Kharand ethnic groups.

Kharand graveyard is one of a kind cemeteries because of its untouched archeological remains and skeletons. The similarity between the artifacts found in the Kharand graves with the items excavated in Mazandaran led archeologists to believe that the answers to their questions regarding the lifestyle and migration pattern of the ancient inhabitants of Kharand can be found by expanding their excavations to cover a larger area around Semnan, where this cemetery is located. Therefore, a team of archeologists from Mazandaran, Gilan, and Semnan provinces are going to begin complementary studies in the southern coasts of Caspian Sea.

A 7000 years Old Girl Found at Bolaghi Gorge

2006-04-28T23:30:00.000-07:00

Tehran, 26 April 2006 (CHN) -- Archaeological excavations in Bolaghi Gorge historical site led to the discovery of the skeleton of a young girl belonging to 7000 years ago, who apparently died in her sleep due to an unknown reason. “This is the first burial belonging to the Bacon Era (the fifth and fourth millennia BC) discovered so far during archaeological excavations in Bolaghi Gorge historical site. We have succeeded in unearthing the skeleton of the girl without causing any damage to it,” said Mojgan Seyedein, Iranian head of joint Iranian-German archeology team in Bolaghi Gorge.

According to Seyedein, eight stone beads have also been discovered with the skeleton of the girl. These stone beads were close to her wrist and neck. “The girl was buried while sleeping on her side and bending her legs with arms under her head like the sleep position of most children,” added Seyedein.

This skeleton was discovered in area number 73 near one of the clay ovens dating back to the Bacon era. Prior to this, the remains of a skeleton belonging to the Iron Age (some 3500 years ago) were unearthed during the archeological excavations of the joint Iranian-Italian team in area number 76 which is close to area number 73. This new discovery is one of the oldest human remains unearthed so far in the Bolaghi Gorge area.

“After cautiously removing the soil which was covering the skeleton, we transferred the skeleton delicately to the Parse-Pasargadae Research Center without causing any changes to its original position,” explained Seyedein. According to Seyedein, the skeleton of this girl is completely intact, and even after the passing of 7000 years, her teeth have remained unharmed. Considering the broken clays around the grave of the girl, archeologists believe that she should have lived during the Bacon era.

Burying the corpse in the floor of residential houses was one of the most common burial methods during the pre-historic time. Archeologists are now trying to figure out if it were also true about this 7000 year-old girl.

Archeological excavations in Bolaghi Gorge started when experts learned of the hazards the newly constructed Sivand Dam poses to this historical site. Several Iranian and foreign archeologists rushed to save this ancient site before flooding of the dam. Luckily, Iranian dam authorities accepted to postpone inauguration of the Sivand Dam until excavations finish in this area. Yet considering the enormous amount of historical relics hidden in this ancient site, it seems almost impossible to save all of them in any given time.

Ancient Graves of Hamadan Await Excavations

2006-04-21T13:35:00.000-07:00

Tehran, 21 April 2006 (CHN) -- Scattered human bones from graves belonging to the Iron Age found in the vicinity of the Ecbatan Dam in Hamadan Province give clues to a possible graveyard behind this dam. To find this cemetery, which is estimated to date back to second millennium BC, archaeologists are to carry out excavations in the area.

According to Motarjem, besides the bone fragments found in the area, there have also been several reports on discovery of a number of pottery behind the dam which go back to the same period of time.

As regards to the dam itself and the possible hazards its flooding might pose to the ancient site which lies just behind it, Motarjem explained, “Since this dam is supposed to be inaugurated this year, we must start our excavations as soon as possible.”

“Although the permission to conduct archaeological excavations in this area was issued from Iran’s Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization (ICHTO) last February, we did not start excavations right away as we were waiting for the raining season to end since raining while the excavation is in progress would cause serious damage to the discovered historic relics and would ruin this ancient site. But now that the raining season is over, we are ready to start the process,” said Motarjem, adding that the only reason they are still waiting to begin is the 5,000 USD amount which was supposed to be given to the team of archaeologists from authorities of Hamadan’s Water Supply Organization which was never received. According to Motarjem, ICHTO has instead promised to grant a total of approximately 3,000 USD for this project.

“Considering the more appropriate weather condition and also ICHTO’s financial supports, we are going to begin excavations behind the Ecbatan Dam from next week,” concluded Motarjem.

Stolen Artifacts to Return to Ilam

2006-04-19T13:37:00.000-07:00

Tehran, 19 April 2006 (CHN) -- Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization of Ilam Province has asked the Cultural Heritage Police Department to assist this organization in returning the stolen artifacts to the ancient village of Darreh Shahr.

Last month, some eleven rare objects dating back to 2800 BC were illegally unearthed from the village of Darreh Shahr in the southwestern province of Ilam including metal items such as arrows with designs, metals depicting wild goats, a golden cup, and a very unique and precious silver mask which is estimated to be from the first millennium BC. Together these items are valued at approximately 26,000 US dollars, and they could be sold outside the country for an estimated price of up to 80,000 USD.

Luckily this collection was seized in Tehran from an illegal digger on April 4th and was transferred to the Cultural Heritage Police Department to be kept under its custody. Now the Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization of Ilam has sent a letter to this department asking for the return of the ancient relics to this province. “Since these items belong to the village of Darreh Shahr, we have asked the Cultural Heritage Police Department to send them back to Ilam province,” said Fereidoon Mohammadi, director general of the Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization of Ilam Province.“Ilam’s experts and representatives from its Cultural Heritage Police Dept. are to examine the places from which these artifacts were taken out in order to prevent such smuggling from happening again,” added Mohammadi.

There are 500 historical sites at Darreh Shahr. More security measures are needed to protect these areas; and Iran's Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization (ICHTO) needs to know exactly from which point the illegal diggers had unearthed this collection.

According to ICHTO officials, these artifacts will be examined by the organization’s experts, renovated if needed, and then they will be sent to a museum to be displayed there.

15 Sassanid Castles Identified in Bastak

2006-04-19T12:29:00.000-07:00

Tehran, 19 April 2006 (CHN) -- Archeologists succeeded in discovering 15 ancient castles dating back to the Sassanid period (226–650 AD) in the city of Bastak in the southern Iranian province of Hormozgan.

“The architectural styles of these castles and the material used in their constructions as well as the pottery found in the area together with other archaeological findings confirm that these monuments must have been constructed during the Sassanid era,” said Ali Asadi, head of the excavation team at the city of Bastak.

“These castles were not very big in size, and it seems that they had been built to control people’s entrance to and from the city,” added Asadi.

In addition, archaeologists were able to find four other relatively bigger castles with complex architectural style near other castles found in Bastak. “Near these castles there were residential areas which were probably residence to ordinary people who either lived or worked there. One of the major features of the discovered castles is the existence of at least one water reservoir in each of them. The number of these water reservoirs reach to three or four in some bigger castles. Since marine trade was very important during the Sassanid period, these bigger castles probably played a defensive role during that time built to protect trade routes which connected to Bastak from the Persian Gulf,” explained Asadi about the discovered castles.

During their excavations in the city of Bastak, archeologists also found several ancient sites in mountain-skirts and plains of the city which go back to the Sassanid dynasty as well and show that Bastak was a flourished city during that time. Studies on these sites also resulted in the discovery of a forgotten Sassanid city with a 40 hectare area.

Achaemenid Stone Quarry of Dashtestan on the Verge of Destruction

2006-04-19T12:23:00.000-07:00

LONDON, 19 April 2006(CAIS) -- Looking from the outside, no one can deny the glory of the Bardak Siah Castle which was once the royal residence of the Achaemenid king of kings. Studies on the tough stones used in construction of this huge monument show that they are very similar to those found in Pouzeh Palangi Mine in Dashtestan, Bushehr Province. Unfortunately, this ancient stone quarry is now being destroyed due to the activities of a cement company built nearby.

“The Pouzeh Palangi is an ancient and unique mine which is considered more important than other ancient mines, even the Majd Abad Mine from which stones used in the construction of the palace of Persepolis were extracted in the past. This valuable archeological site is unfortunately being destroyed and nothing has been done by the authorities to protect this ancient mine,” said Mohyedin Jafari, geologist who has had close cooperation with the excavation team at Bardak Siah castle.

“We have informed the Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization of Iran about the dangers posed to this mine and have asked them to take all the necessary measures to protect it before it is too late. However, no one from that organization has visited the Pouzeh Palangi Mine. Although we have had talks with managers of the cement company and they seemed to understand the sensitivity of the case, as long as the cultural heritage and tourism organization has not taken any action, we can not expect the company to seize its activities,” added Jafari.

Bardak Siah Castle was discovered in 1977 where remains of another palace, called Sang-e Siah (Black Stone), and many stone inscriptions and bas-reliefs have been unearthed from this castle. More than twenty other palaces and halls from the Achaemenid dynasty have been identified buried under the palm trees of Dashtestan area.

An Intact Brick Dome Discovered in Arjan

2006-04-15T01:53:00.000-07:00

Tehran, 15 April 2006 (CHN) -- Over the years the illegal excavations in Arjan, Khuzestan province caused some serious harm to this 7000-year-old historical site, but recently an intact brick dome belonging to the Islamic period was discovered at this raveged site.

“Arjan Research Center is situated in Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization of Behbahan city and there is no building for the settlement of this center in Arjan historical site. On the other hand, the cultural heritage guards protect the area only during the days. The absence of cultural heritage guards in Arjan historical site at nights provides smugglers an opportunity to go to the site every now and then to carry out illegal diggings. However this time their excavations led to the discovery of an intact brick dome belonging to the Islamic period,” said Ganji, head of Arjan’s Research Center.

Khuzestan and Kerman provinces are known as the paradise of illegal diggers. According to Ganji, since the Arjan historical site is very vast, sometimes the research center does not get informed of some illegal excavations right away.

Arjan Elamite city is located 10 kilometers north of the city of Behbahan in Khuzestan province. A grave belonging to the New Elamite era was discovered during the construction of a dam on Maroon River in fall 1982. The grave belongs to Kidin Hutran, an Elamite king who ruled during the seventh century BC. A very unique and remarkable gold ring with the design of two winged lions on the two sides of a “holly tree” was also discovered in this grave. On this ring, a phrase written in the Elamite cuneiform is evident which reads: “Kidin Hutran, Son of Cyrus”.

Arjan historical site was a flourished city during the ancient times which stayed alive until the beginning of the Islamic period. The city underwent a lot of changes and got into conflicts with Al-e Bouye dynasty. Arjan was devastated by an earthquake in 1085 AD. Those who survived from the earthquake migrated toward the south of the area and established the present city of Behbahan.

A Forgotten Sassanid City Discovered in Hormozgan

2006-04-12T23:46:00.000-07:00

Tehran, 12 April 2006 (CHN) -- A 40-hectare forgotten city belonging to the Sassanid era has been discovered in Bastak city in the southern Iranian province of Hormozgan. This city was called Sibeh during the ancient times; however since the name of the city has not been mentioned in any historical document, archaeologists know it as the Sassanid Forgotten City.

“Archaeological excavations near a construction called “Hamame Sibeh” (Sibeh Bath) led to the discovery of a 2000-year-old city with 40-hectare area. Studies on this historical site indicate that its most ancient layer must have belonged to the Sassanid era,” said Ali Asadi, archaeologist and head of excavation team in Bastak city.

Some parts of the city have been buried under present Kukhrad Village and its cemetery. According to Asadi, the main part of the city is a water channel which transferred the drinking water of a spring from one side of Mehran River, located south of Sibeh discovered city, to the other side where the discovered city is located. The water of Mehran River is very salty; therefore the inhabitants of the city had to transfer the drinking water of a spring from one side of the river to the other side through a channel which was constructed very firmly on the basin of the river with stone and mortar.

The usage of some parts of this channel is still unknown to archaeologists. However, they believe that some parts of this channel structure might have been used as a transportation path by the inhabitants of the city.

According to Asadi, two water reservoirs have also been discovered in the area which might have been constructed during the initial settlement of human beings in the area. “Only the ceiling of the Sibeh bath has been remained almost intact and the rest of it has been destroyed and buried under mud due to the regional floods,” said Asadi.

Archaeologists believe that the name “Sibeh” was a common name during the Sassanid period. The usage of the famous Sibeh bath is not yet known since the building is almost completely buried in mud.

Prior to the discovery of the city, the Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization of Hormozgan province was determined to register Sibeh Bath as the only remained construction of the city in the list of Iran’s National Heritage. Now with this new discovery it has been proposed to register the entire city, the bath, and the water reservoirs in the list of National Heritage.

The Second Human Design Discovered in Espidej

2006-04-11T23:41:00.000-07:00

Tehran, 11 April 2006 (CHN) -- The second design of a human being carved on a clay dish was discovered during the fifth season of archeological excavations in pre-historic cemetery of Espidej in Sistan va Balushistan province. This clay dish which depicts a naked man was unearthed in the 5000-year-old cemetery of Espidej.
“The clay on which this figure is illustrated is made of red clay and most probably was not dried completely when the craftsman carved the design of the naked man with a reed on it,” said Mohammad Heydari, archaeologists from the Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization of Sistan va Baluchistan province and head of excavation team in Espidej.
According to Heydari, the artists who made this relic tried to create a piece of art that has a symbolic message; they tried to accomplish this goal by making small holes in some parts of the clay dish. Considering the style of the design, it seems the figure’s head must have been created by the stroke of reeds on the clay dish and then the rest of the body was etched by creating some lines.
This is the second human design discovered in Espidej historical site. The first was found during the archaeological excavations in 2003 which was the design of a dancing man and woman. The rest of the discovered articles were animal and geometric designs.
“The design of the dancing man and woman is a clay relief which is called positive design, while the design of the naked man was created by making holes in the clay which is called negative design,” explained Heydari.
Finding human designs is a rare phenomenon in archeological excavations which provides archeologist with a unique and valuable chance to discover more about the art of prehistoric and historical periods.
Espidej historical city is located 25 kilometer from Zabol in the southeastern province of Sistan va Balushistan. There are two pre-historic cemeteries in the area. During the previous excavations in one of these cemeteries, a grave of a blacksmith was unearthed which dates back to 3000 BC.

Discovery of a Giant Achaemenid Building in Bolaghi Gorge

2006-04-10T12:49:00.000-07:00

Tehran, 10 April 2006 (CHN) -- Archaeological excavations in area no. 73 of Bolaghi Gorge historical site with the aim of finding cultural evidence from the fourth millennium BC led to the discovery of the remains of a big construction belonging to the Achaemenid era.
“Prior to this discovery, the remains of an Achaemenid architectural style was found by Iranian-Italian joint team in area no. 73 of Bolaghi Gorge, but the discovery of the remains of clay ovens belonging to the fourth millennium BC headed us to this historical site to find more evidence. Geophysical studies in this area resulted in unearthing a huge building. Three big trenches have been dug for identifying this building. Archaeological excavations indicate that this building with stone walls dates back to the Achaemenid era,” said Mojgan Seyedein, Iranian head of Iranian-German joint excavation team.
Rubble stones were used in the construction of the walls of this building. “The remains of two broken stone dishes were also discovered which are somehow similar to the present bowls. However, since we have not reached to pure soil yet, we can not determine the exact characteristics such as the size of the walls of this construction,” added Seyedein.
The remains of an Achaemenid village with 30 rural houses had already been discovered in area no. 73 of Bolaghi Gorge with a cemetery next to it. Getting closer to the time of the Sivand Dam flooding, archeological excavations in Bolaghi Gorge have been speeded up, which resulted in some considerable findings so far.
The 18-kilometer Bolaghi Gorge is located 9 kilometers from the world heritage site of Pasargadae in Fars province. Some experts believe that the site has been the location of the major ancient road of Iran, King’s Road, built by the order of Darius, the Achaemenid king. Bolaghi Gorge will sure drown after the inundation of Sivand Dam. The salvation project in Bolaghi Gorge started with the participation of 8 international and several domestic archaeological teams more than a year ago to save the archaeological relics buried in this ancient site as much as possible.

Post-Achaemenid Trench Discovered in Bolaghi Gorge

2006-04-10T01:31:00.000-07:00

Tehran, 9 April 2006 (CHN) -- Archaeological excavations in Bolaghi Gorge led to the discovery of the remains of a long trench belonging to the post-Achaemenid era. This period was followed by the collapse of the Achaemenid dynasty in 330 BC and lasted to the Parthian era in 150 BC.
“The existence of this trench-like wall was confirmed by geophysical studies and aerial photographs reconfirmed its existence. Therefore, archeological excavations started in area no. 91 of Bolaghi Gorge during which some parts of the wall was unearthed. What has been unearthed so far is almost 3 meters and 17 centimeters in length and one meters and 60 centimeters in height. This wall was constructed from rubbles. Based on the archeological evidence this wall belong to the post-Achaemenid era, however its usage is not known yet,” said Mojgan Seyedein, Iranian head of Iran-Germany joint archaeological team in Bolaghi Gorge.
According to Seyedein, geophysical evidence and aerial photographs indicate that the wall of this trench should have been bigger in size.
Archaeological excavations started in Bolaghi Gorge, located 18 kilometers from Pasargadae historical site in Fars province, when it was announced that the inundation of the newly constructed Sivand Dam will pose a real threat to this historical site which is believed to have been the location of the ancient King Road and one of the most important historical sites of the Pasargadae Complex. With inundation of the dam, 130 historical sites unearthed so far in Bolaghi Gorge, including the newly discovered settlement complexes, will drown. To save the main parts of Bolaghi Gorge before flooding, some joint teams from Iran and foreign countries are currently busy with archaeological excavations in this historical site with the cooperation of Sivand Dam authorities and Bolaghi Gorge Salvation Team.

The Second Royal Inscription Discovered in Jiroft

2006-04-08T23:55:00.000-07:00

Tehran, 8 April 2006 (CHN) -- Archaeological excavations in Kenar Sandal in Jiroft led to the discovery of the second and most complete royal inscription in the raised platform, which once again proves the existence of a civilization in Jiroft during 3rd millennium BC.
“This linear brick inscription which is the most intact inscription discovered in this area so far is 11 centimeters in length, 7 centimeter in width and its thickness is 2 centimeters. This inscription has 5 lines and each line has almost 12 characters. According to a French expert in Elamite studies, this inscription must have been a king’s order. Considering the similarity of this inscription with another one which had been discovered during the previous season of excavation, most probably it is the second king order inscription discovered in Kenar Sandal so far,” said Nader Soleimani, archaeologist and a member of excavation team in Kenar Sandal to CHN.
This inscription was found in the discovered ziggurat in the northern part of Kenar Sandal historical site. This ziggurat is one to three centuries older than the most ancient ziggurat in Mesopotamia.
Considering all these historical evidence, it is proved that Iran’s stone art was more developed than that of Mesopotamia. The art used on these stones shows Iranian skills in stone art during the ancient times. Such a delicacy can not be seen in Sumerian civilization of Mesopotamia during this period. Archaeological studies on the coals gathered during excavations in Jiroft revealed that the surface layer of this historical site dates back to 2800 BC. Besides, the geophysical studies of French experts in this historical site show the existence of 11 architectural layers beneath this ziggurat.
Archaeologists believe that Kenar Sandal enjoys a history of more than 6000 years, and the discovered evidence indicates the settlements of human beings in a region as vast as the Sumerian civilization in Mesopotamia. All of these together with the discovered inscriptions have somehow convinced archaeologists that Jiroft’s civilization is more ancient than that of Mesopotamia which is believed to be the most ancient civilization of the world.
The first inscription discovered in Jiroft studied by five linguists from the United States, France, Russia, Denmark, and Iran revealed that this Elamite script was 300 years older than that of the great civilization of Susa. Based on these new findings, archaeologist believe that Jiroft was the origin of Elamit written language in which the writing system developed for the first time and was then spread across the country and reached Susa. Now the second discovered inscription will be decoded by linguists from the United States and France to prove this claim.
The city of Jiroft is situated close to Halil Rud historical site. Halil Rud, located on the basin of Halil Rud River, was one of the first places where civilization and urbanization were established. Up until now, many stone and clay objects as well as other historical evidence belonging to the third millennium BC have been discovered on the 400-kilometer basin of Halil Rud River during the archeological excavations and also the illegal diggings by the smugglers. Archaeological excavations are still continuing in north and south shores of the Halil Rud River in order to discover different dwellings, architectural evidence, and cemeteries.
One of the most important architectural structures discovered in this area is a ziggurat belonging to the first half of the third millennium BC. Iranian and foreign archaeologists are searching to discover the original architectural form of this ziggurat.
A ziggurat is a temple tower of the ancient Assyrians and Babylonians, having the form of a terraced pyramid of successively receding stories. One of the best remained ziggurats is Tchogha Zanbil situated southwest of Iran in Khuzestan province.
Archeologists strongly believe that the new discoveries in Jiroft historical site may change the trend of the civilization of the world.

Archeologists in Search of a Port Lost 700 Years Ago

2006-04-08T23:49:00.000-07:00

Tehran, 8 April 2006 (CHN) -- Archaeological excavations are still continuing in Minab plain in order to discover the Old Hormoz Port which mysteriously disappeared in the 1300s and is believed to have been located around the present-day Hormozgan Province.
“The main aim of these excavations is to discover the original location of the Old Hormoz Port. It was a city which turned into an important international trade port after the collapse of Siraf Port. A lot of people even some contemporary historians believe that the present city of Minab is the old Hormoz. However, according to what is recorded in historical evidence such as the itinerary of Morco Polo, the famous Italian explorer, this can not be true and the old Hormoz port was different from the present Minab. Besides, Hormoz was a trade port with some places for ships to berth while the case is not true with Minab city,” said Siamak Sarlak, archaeologist and head of excavation team in Minab and Roodan.
In 1300 AD, a group of Mongols attacked the old Hormoz. Following that attack which devastated this portal city the governor of Hormoz accompanied by the residents migrated to the present city of Minab. Since that time the old Hormoz disappeared and no one knows precisely where it was located. “It is nearly 700 years since the old Hormoz port has vanished and no archaeologist has managed to find its exact place yet,” explained Sarlak.
According to Sarlak, 84 historical relics have been unearthed during the excavations in Minab port so far, some of which date back to the ancient Stone Age (some 150,000 years ago). However, there is not much information to assist archeologists to identify the origin settlements there.
“The previous excavations led to the discovery of two linear and radial styles of settlements in the area. Linear settlements are those which are situated in lines. This style of settlement goes back to the Islamic period. But radial settlements have a pattern of lines that go outward from a central point, making a circular shape. This style of settlement goes back to the pre-Islamic period. These excavations resulted in the discovery of about five or six ancient areas,” added Sarlak.
According to Sarlak, discovering the real place of the old Hormoz would be a great achievement for Iran’s history and archaeology.

Discovery of Ancient Statuettes and a Torso in Daqyanous

2006-04-05T13:22:00.000-07:00

Tehran, 5 April 2006 (CHN) -- Archaeological excavations in Jiroft led to the discovery of some statuettes of men and women and the statue of a torso of an instrumentalist woman in the ancient public bathroom of Daqyanous city. Archeologists believe that the existence of these statuettes indicate the continuation of pre-Islamic art during the Seljuk era (900 years ago).
The Islamic city of Daqyanous, located north of the city of Jiroft in Kerman province is the only city dating back to prehistoric times which was registered as a national heritage some 70 years ago. Considering its 40-kilometer area, this city is considered one of the biggest Islamic cities, although its central part is only 12 kilometers.
“Studying the dress styles depicted on these statuettes will result in identifying the dress code of the people in Daqyanous city during the ancient times. The cloths of the men and women are very similar, consisting of trousers and coats. There is also some very beautiful ornamentation on their hats, head-covers and their trousers,” said Hamideh Choobak, head of archeological excavation team in Daqyanous city.
Considering the discovery of the statue of a torso of an instrumentalist woman in Daqyanous historical site, Choobak explained: “the statuettes indicates the continuation of the Parthian and Sassanid art during the Seljuk era since some statuettes belonging to the Elamite period have also been discovered. Later during the Parthian and Sassanid era it was common to carve images of instrumentalist women on silver dishes. Therefore, with the discovery of these statuettes we can see the influence of pre-Islamic art on that of the Seljuk period and that how they were used in the decorations of the buildings during the Seljuk era.”
Jiroft, in southeast of Iran is one of the most ancient centers of Iranian civilization comprised of archaic sites dating back to the third millennium BC up to the Islamic era. There are many historical sites in this area such as the city of Daqyanous near Halil Rud River.
Daqyanous historical city was one of the key areas in Iran through which Iran traded with eastern countries of the region. A lot of ceramic kilns and ancient layers of the prehistoric era up to the post-Islamic period can be found here. Some dishes engraved with images such as dragons, eagles, animals, temples, and idols and beads that change color when in contact with water have been discovered in Daqyanous historical site. Marco Polo, the famous Italian explorer, has described Daqyanous historical city as a magnificent city in his itinerary.
Some archeological excavations have been done by the Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization of Iran in this historical site but only 2,000 square meters of it have been excavated so far. Archeologists believe that more than a century is needed to complete the studies here. Unfortunately some invaluable artifacts were seized during the illegal excavations by the smugglers. The latest season of excavations has been started since 17th of March and will run to 30th of April to extract more information from this historic site.

Parse-Pasargad Foundation Outlines Projects

2006-04-05T13:16:00.000-07:00

LONDON, 05 March 2006 (CAIS) -- Repair works on the southern section, the tower on Mehr Mountain, tomb of Darius III, 100 Columns Palace and clearing the southern platform of Persepolis (Takht-e Jamshid) are priorities of Parse Pasargad Foundation in the new Iranian year to March 2007. ISNA quoted Hassan Rahsaz, an expert and counsellor of the foundation, as saying that reconstruction work at southern section, which is home to adobe structures and cuneiform inscriptions, will continue in the Iranian year.
The foundation will clear 150 to 200 meters of the Persepolis platform and direct waterways out of the platform. With the implementation of these projects, the platform in the eastern section of Mehr Mountain will be unearthed.
Rahsaz also hoped that waterways in southern section would be cleared during operations planned in the current year. Since excavated earth was dumped in southern section in 1931, no exploration has been conducted in the area.

Grave of Karim Khan’s Mother Discovered in Malayer

2006-04-05T00:10:00.000-07:00

Tehran, 4 April 2006 (CHN) -- Archeological excavations in Malayer, a city in Hamadan province, led to the discovery of the grave of Karim Khan’s mother in Pari Tepe. “The gravestone of Karim Khan’s mother has been transferred to the public bath of the village by the inhabitants to be kept in a special condition. The villagers have taken the charge of preserving the gravestone themselves and they rarely show it to the others,” said Javad Babapiri, head of excavation team in Pari Tepe in Hamadan province.
Pari Tepe is the birth place of Karim Khan, the founder of Zand dynasty (1750–1794 AD), a Lur-Bakhtiari ethnic group in Iran. Karim Khan Zand became one of the generals of his predecessor, Nader Shah. In the chaotic aftermath of Nader Shah’s assassination in 1747 AD, Karim Khan became a major contender for power but was challenged by several adversaries; however he finally seized the power over Iran. In the course of Iranian history, Karim Khan Zand, enjoys a good reputation among the people; he did not adopt the title of Shah (the king) for himself, preferring the title Vakil-ol Roayaa (The Peasants’ Regent).
According to Babapiri, the gravestone is made of igneous rock and has a rectangular shape. 150 graves have been discovered in Pari Tepe so far. The initial studies on Zandieh graves show that the design of worry beads and seals and the prayer cloth, two-sided combs and mirrors were carved on the graves of women while the worry beads and seals, hubble-bubble pipe, dagger, gun, and sometimes the design of horses can be seen carved on the gravestones of men.
“There is a vertical stone above the grave of the lords and the headmen of the tribes on which the scene of bringing hubble-bubble pipes and tea for the lord were carved,” added Babapiri.
Discovery of 45-centimeter long clay pipes with 15-centimeter diameter in Pari Tepe attracted the attention of archaeologists to the irrigation system of this historical site. The discovered clay pipes also date back to the Zand period and they were covered by mortar and dregs of burnt bricks. Based on the studies the irrigation channel was led to the Zand Fortress.
“The studies of the irrigation system of the Zand Fortress discovered in Pari Tepe indicate that it is very similar to the irrigation system in Fin Garden in the city of Kashan. The water of the river was carried to the fortress with maximum pressure by clay pipes,” said Babapiri.
The historical site of Pari Tepe (hill) is located in Pari Village near the city of Malayer in Hamadan province which was excavated by Hakimi in 1970 for the first time.

For the First Time, a Sasanian Imperial Cemetery Discovered at Gur

2006-03-20T23:12:00.000-08:00

LONDON, 19 March 2006 (CAIS) -- A team of Iranian archaeologists has discovered an Imperial cemetery containing four coffins in the Sasanian city of Gur near Firuzabad in Fars Province, the Persian service of CHN reported on Saturday.
“We were cleaning an early post-Sasanian era water well for study of historic strata. Surprisingly, we found some drawings on the walls of the well at a depth of 180 centimeters. We made large trenches in order to trace the (course of the) drawings to the floor, and consequently we discovered the cemetery and the coffins,” team director Leili Niakan said.
The U-shaped coffins are empty, but the cemetery floor has many colorful drawings depicting Sasanian princes, though they have been partially damaged over the years, she explained. Such a cemetery and such coffins have never been seen at any site before, she said.
“We found pieces of bone in the well, but it is difficult for us to study the bones due to the damage caused by the humidity of the well, so we plan to send the bones to an Iranian expert at Cambridge University for further study,” Niakan added.
In early January, the team unearthed bas-reliefs depicting four members of the Sasanian Imperial family in the Menarshahr region of Gur.
Located 10 kilometers from Firuzabad in Fars Province, the circle-shaped city of Gur was the first capital of the Sasanians, which was established during the reign of the founder of the Sasanian dynasty, King of Kings Ardashir I. Very few studies have been carried out on the site, which is one of the five most important Sasanian cities. It covers an area of 300 hectares.
The excavations are being carried out in order to save the site, which is threatened by farmers who are cultivating the lands beneath which most of the ancient city lies buried.
Over 30 percent of the upper level of the city has been flattened and its walls have been seriously damaged by farmers’ activities over the years.

A Temporary Settlement from Neolithic Era Found in Shahrud Plain

2006-03-15T12:56:00.000-08:00

Tehran, 15 March 2006 (CHN) -- The first season of archaeological excavations in pre-historic sites of Kalateh Khan and Qaf Khaneh in Semnan province resulted in understanding the fact that these areas were used just as temporary settlements by the people during the Neolithic era. Kalateh Khan and Qaf Khaneh, located in Shahrud plain in Semnan province, are two of the most ancient sites in Iran’s Central Plateau, dating back to the 7th to 5th millennium BC.
“It is believed that Shahrud Plain was a temporary settlement for migrating nomads, however more studies are still needed to confirm this new finding,” said Kourosh Roustayi, head of excavation team of this historical site.
According to Roustayi, due to the special geological condition of this area, archaeologists are hoping to discover more historical evidence there. “We hope to find more cultural evidence in the area such as more ovens which were discovered during archeological excavations in Deh Kheir historical site,” added Roustayi.
Some coaled seeds and animal bones had also been discovered during the first season of excavations in Kalateh Khan and Qaf Khaneh historical sites.

Sections of Achaemenid' Kabeh Zartosht at Naqsh-e Rostam have Collapsed

2006-03-13T13:06:00.000-08:00

LONDON, 13 March 2006 (CAIS) -- As the result of the Islamic regime' negligence towards pre-Islamic Iranian heritage, sections of the Achaemenid structure known as Kabeh Zarthost which has recently renamed as the Bardia Tomb, located at Naqsh-e Rostam in Fars province, have collapsed. The regime has announced that the structure will be repaired and the surrounding walls will also be reinforced. A master craftsman, who has undertaken the repair operation of Parse historical site, Hassan Rahsaz said that walls of the structure were repaired in 1966-1967. The walls were located eight meters below the surface of the surrounding areas and the structure itself was excavated after 1935.
Rahsaz noted that sections of the walls were built in 1967 to preserve the mud-bricks which were used in constructing the temple. The walls have been damaged in the past 30 years and should be repaired for Norouz holiday season when visitors from different cities come to see the cultural heritage site.
He said that the Zoroastrian Temple was built of limestone, a category of white stone which has remained durable.

History of the Central Plateau should be Rewritten Due to the Discovery of a River

2006-03-13T12:51:00.000-08:00

LONDON, 13 March 2006 (CAIS) – Discovery of the traces of an ancient river belonging to the fifth millennium BC in Mafin Abad historical hill provided some important information about the cultural and economical life in Central Plateau of Iran for archaeologists. Archaeologists believe that an important event must have happened in the region which led to some atmospheric changes in Central Plateau of Iran and terminated the trend of urbanization life in this region.
Prior to this, it was supposed that Central Plateau of Iran has always been a desert and therefore the existence of some civilizations in this region such as Cheshmeh Ali remained a mystery to archaeologists. However, discovery of the traces of a historical river in the region changed the archaeological beliefs.
“Remains of a historical river which was discovered during the archeological excavations in Mafin Abad region, changes the current attitudes towards the atmospheric condition of the Central Plateau. With the recent discovery, the former archeological beliefs about the economical and social situation of Central Plateau of Iran during ancient times will be revised,” said Ahmad Chaichi, director of archaeological research center and head of excavation team in Mafin Abad.
According to Chaichi, discovery of the remains of a river in this region may result in finding out how some rich civilizations were established in the area. Now the question is that what happened some 6,000 years ago which caused the civilizations that were going towards urbanization to came to a sudden end. Archaeological excavations in Mafin Abad historical site which have been started since January this year, has led to some important accomplishments about the biological and cultural situation of Central Plateau of Iran.
Chaichi believes that discovery the remains of a river in the region indicate the development of culture and civilization in Cheshmeh Ali region in Central Plateau. On the other hand discovery of a large number of spindles indicate that Mafin Abad was an industrialized region in Central Plateau of Iran during ancient times.
“In addition to spindles, some pottery equipments were also discovered in the region which indicates industry development of pottery during ancient times. The standard method of producing clays indicates that this industry was reached to a developed situation in the course of history,” explained Chaichi.
Mafin Abad Tepe is located in Eslamshahr in south of Tehran. It is near Vavan Tepe which belongs to the Sasanid dynastic era.

World Oldest Observatory Discovered in Gur

2006-03-12T13:11:00.000-08:00

LONDON, 12 March 2006(CAIS) -- The oldest observatory was discovered in Gur city, Fars province, along with frescos of Sasanid princes. The Iran-Germany archaeological team, headed by Professor Dietrich Hoff, in its excavations first reached a circular structure which led to the Iranian observatory, dating back to the first Islamic century.
Similar buildings have previously been found in the Indian cities of New Delhi and Jaipur, ISNA reported. The adobe structure is in excellent condition. Its diameter is about 5.65 meters and there are 12 zodiac signs on the structure.
An Iranian member of the archaeological team, Jafari-Zand, said, “The observatory has been repaired and reinforced. Rest assured that natural parameters will not affect the structure and after the completion of excavations, it will be kept in a protected area.“
He noted that in the current phase, a part of the observatory, which is a masterpiece of Iranian science and technology, was unearthed and in the next phases other parts will be unearthed. Gur city was founded during the reign of Sasanid emperor, Ardeshir Babakan. In the Post-Sasanid era, its name changed to Firouzabad. The city was thriving in terms of scientific considerations in the 10th century CE.
Fars province was at the forefront of astronomy in Iran in the 10th century CE and Gur was a prominent city.

8000-Year-Old Pottery, Kilns Discovered Near Shahrud

2006-03-12T13:06:00.000-08:00

LONDON, 12 March 2006 (CAIS) -- A team of Iranian archaeologists has discovered kilns, some pottery, and several stone blades during the current phase of excavations at the 8000-year-old Deh-Kheyr tepe, which is located near Shahrud in Semnan Province.
“The discoveries indicate that the site might have been an industrial region in ancient times,” team director Hassan Rezvani told IRNA on Saturday.

Excavations carried out over the past few years by Iranian and Japanese experts at Deh-Kheyr and Tappeh-Chakhmanq, south of Shahrud, resulted in the discovery of traces from the Neolithic era (circa 9000–8000 BC), putting the region on the archaeological map.

In the new phase of excavations, the cultural sequence of this era and previous periods will be studied, Rezvani said.
After the Neolithic era, people settled in the Shahrud region due to its hospitable environment, he added. Shahrud is located 398 kilometers east of Tehran and the Deh-Kheyr tepe is 15 kilometers north of the city.

7000-Year-Old Animal-Designed Clays Discovered in Shushtar

2006-03-12T12:42:00.000-08:00

Tehran, 12 March 2006 (CHN) – Archaeological excavations in Khuzestan province led to the discovery of three earthenware ovens of clay designed with exaggerated pictures of animals called “Mosabak” in 7000-year-old architectural remains of Tal-e Abouchizan in Shushtar. This is the first time such clay relics has been discovered in Khuzestan historical sites. “Existence of four earthenware ovens in architectural remains indicate that this historical structure was not a settlement area and mot probably it is the remains of a pottery workshop. Some clays with very beautiful designs were also discovered near this workshop,” said Mehdi Moghadam, head of archaeological team in Tal-e Abouchizan in Shushtar.
According to Moghadam, such decorated clays were only discovered in Backoon historical site in Fars province which was one of the most important centers in forming political governments.
The first season of excavations has started in Tal-e Abouchizan to find out the role of this 7000-year-old historical area in the establishment of the first governments in Susa.
Tal-e Abouzhizan is one of the marginal sites of Susa which contains some historical evidence from the Elamite to the Islamic period. Tal-e Abouchizan has a strategic position. From east it leads to Ramhormoz, Behbahan, and Fars, from west it leads to Sustar and Susa, and from the south it leads to Ahvaz and the Persian Gulf.

The Largest Sasanid City Discovered in Fars

2006-03-11T14:02:00.000-08:00

LONDON, 11 March 2006 (CAIS) -- A large Sasanid city has been discovered near the town of Kazerun in the southern Iranian province of Fars, the Persian service of CHN reported on Saturday. “The city is located 70 kilometers from Kazerun near the bas-relief of Bahram II (Sasanid king of kings, reigned 276–293 CE) and Sar-Mashhad village, so we tentatively named it Sar-Mashhad,” the director of the archaeological team working at the site said.
Although no one knew its extent, people were aware of the existence of the buried city due to several small mounds at the site, but during the new phase of studies, the team found a large site that covers 600 hectares, Saeid Ebrahimi explained.
Based on the shards gathered at the site and its proximity to the Bahram II bas-relief, the archaeologists believe that the site dates back to the Sasanid dynastic era and was still inhabited in the early Islamic era.
The team is currently searching for references to the city in historical texts, Ebrahimi added. Villagers who use some sections of the area for farming believe that the site was used by Bahram II for lion hunting, but Ebrahimi rejected the idea, arguing, “The site contains many mounds and a large tepes, which all point out to an urban life.”
With Persepolis and the city of Gur, Fars Province is home to major palaces of the great dynasties of the second Iranian dynasty, the Achaemenids (about 550-333 BC) and the forth dynasty, the Sasanids (224-652 CE).

Marlik Mounds Turned Into Paddy Fields

2006-03-09T12:57:00.000-08:00

LONDON, 09 March 2006 (CAIS) -- While the historic mounds at Marlik, Gilan province, can be the site for further archaeological studies, farmers have turned the area into farmland and are engaged in cultivating crops. Expressing this, an Iranian archaeologist, Mohammad Reza Khalatbari told ISNA that excavations at Marlik cemetery was of significance given the fact that archaeological studies in Gilan province have entered a new phase.
Khalatbari, who is also director the excavation team at the historical site of Tool, Talesh city, Gilan province, recalled that the first team set up in 1960 with the aim of compiling the country’s archaeological atlas, selected Gilan province as the first subject for study.
The team directed by Mohsen Moqaddam conducted archaeological studies in Deilaman in the same province. Stating that Marlik Mounds earlier belonged to a person named Cheraqali, who was used to cultivate the land, he said following the identification of the mounds, two rounds of excavations in the area led to the discovery of valuable objects including admiralty-metal and golden items as well as potteries.
After the head of the team submitted his report, professor Ezzatollah Negahban, a US-based Iranian archaeologist, who was the technical deputy of the Archaeology Department in 1960, drew attention to the importance of the mounds and he himself directed the team.
During the excavations conducted by Negahban from 1961-1962, 53 graves belonging to the kings ruling the region and some other valuable objects were unearthed. The relics in Marlik belonged to kings who ruled the area in the second millennium BC and the early centuries of the first millennium BC were also discovered during this excavation.
During the most recent excavations the Kadusi Governmental Citadel was aslo discovered in the Marlik mound.

The Staircase of the Red Dome Unearthed in Hamadan

2006-03-09T12:43:00.000-08:00

Tehran, 9 March 2006 (CHN) – Restoration and reconstruction works in Red Dome historical tower led to discovery of two rows of the staircase which was buried for years. “Two rows of Red Dome staircase which are 2 meters in height and 40 centimeters in width were unearthed during the excavations,” said Naser Zavari, head of the Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization of Maragheh.
Red Dome, located in southwest of Maragheh city in Hamadan province, is the most ancient tomb in northwest of Iran constructed in 592 AH by the order of Abdolaziz, Azarbaijan’s governor. For the first time a combination of brick and tile-mosaic were used in the construction of this historical tower and therefore it is known as the start of Razi architectural style.
“The embellishment and reconstruction of the dome’s area started 5 years ago and last year with the cooperation of Maragheh municipality the lands in the vicinity of the dome were registered for the Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization of Maragheh city to enlarge the area,” added Zavari.
According to Zavari, the restoration of some worn out interior parts of the dome has been started. He also explained about the construction of a vertical sun clock in the Red Dome area, “this unique clock in Iran, constructed by the cooperation of the physics and astronomy center of Maragheh and cultural department of France Embassy in Iran, is the third biggest vertical sun clock in the world after Paris’s sun clock and the sun clock of Egypt’s president house,” said Zavari.
He expressed hope that with allotting enough budgets to this project, this historical monument will be ready for public visit by next year.
Red Dome is a squared building consisted of a catacomb and a main room on a stone raised platform which is accessible by seven stairs. Five stairs of this building are in front of the raised platform and the sixth and seventh stairs are in the portal. The catacomb is located on the center of the raised platform and is accessible through the eastern part.

An Achaemenid Dam Discovered in Marvdasht

2006-03-09T12:34:00.000-08:00

LONDON, 09 March 2006 (CAIS) -- Archaeological excavations by a French team in Fars province led to the discovery of the remains of a big dam belonging to the Achaemenid dynastic era. “Archaeological evidence indicates that most possibly the earthen dam located in Hana Gorge, was constructed by stone channels during the Achaemenid dynastic era. It is also believed that this dam must have been constructed to bring the water of the river under control and direct it to agricultural lands of Marvdasht plain,” said Remy Boucharlat, head of French Archaeological team in Marvdasht to CHN.
This earthen dam consisted of a canal, built with scraped grey stones for directing water. Metal joints were used for fastening these stones. The remains of this dam are known as the Demon Cave for the people of the region. More Archaeological excavations are still needed to determine the characteristics of this dam.
The discovered dam was almost 500 meters in length, 10 to 15 meters in height, and 10 to 30 meters in width. The eastern part of this dam has been destroyed due to the flooding of the river. “Northern and Southern parts and the stone canal of this dam have been destroyed by loader and explosive materials to some extent,” said Hamidreza Rezaei, director of the Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization of Marvdasht and head of Pasargadae Research Center.
Despite all these destructions caused by loaders, explosive materials, and also illegal diggings, this dam has still remained intact in some parts up to 5 meters high. Using explosive materials and loader for the destruction of this dam indicate how strong this dam was constructed substantially during the Achaemenid period, that after 2500 years from its construction explosive materials are needed to destroy it.
“Mapping of this earthen dam has been finished and it is ready for Boucharlat Archaeological excavations,” added Rezaei.

Discovery of Achaemenid Settlements in Marvdasht

2006-03-07T17:20:00.000-08:00

LONDON, 07 March 2006 (CAIS) -- Second season of excavations by a joint Iranian-French team in Marvdasht foothills in Fars province resulted in the discovery of some settlement areas belonging to the Achaemenid dynastic era. “The previous excavations in Marvdasht historical site were merely focused on the plains. The recent excavations by Iranian-French joint team in Marvdasht foothills led to the discovery of some residential areas belonging to the Achaemenid dynastic era for the first time in this region. Our main aim was to find out traces belonging to the Achaemenid period and the first millennium BC in Marvdasht plain”, said Mohammad Feizkhah, Iranian head of the team.
Little information have been obtained so far about the way of urban and rural living during the Achaemenid dynasty which is one of the questions occupied the mind of archaeologists about this period.
According to Feizkhah, most of these settlements areas are rural houses, located on the foothills and archaeological excavations in this historical site would provide some important information about the system of ordinary peoples’ life during the Achaemenid dynasty.
“During the excavations near the plain rivers, we found a barrier used to function as small dam, which must have belonged to the Elamite period. This joint was destroyed in the course of history and during the Achaemenid dynastic era a settlements were constructed over it,” added Feizkhah.
The recent discoveries during the second season of excavations in Marvdasht have encouraged the archaeologists to head for a third season, commencing in spring 2006.

Experts to Unravel the Mysteries of Post-Achaemenid ear Laodicea Temple

2006-03-07T17:14:00.000-08:00

LONDON, 07 March 2006 (CAIS) -- The Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization (CHTO) plans to buy a number of houses in a region of Nahavand (Nahâvand), which archaeologists believe the Hellenistic Laodicea Temple lies buried, the Persian service of CHN reported on Tuesday.
Last June, a team of Iranian archaeologists led by Mehdi Rahbar began searching for the temple in Nahavand, which is 40 kilometers southeast of Malayer in Hamedan Province . The locals have been building many residential units on the site over the years, so the ICHTO must buy the houses in order to facilitate the excavation of the area.

“The team’s archaeological studies determined that only 12 residences must be bought in the first phase,” the director of the Laodicea Archaeological Study said.
The upcoming excavations will help determine exactly how many other houses must be bought to make the archaeological project possible, Ali Torabi added.

In 1943, archaeologists discovered an 85x36 centimeter ancient inscription of 30 lines written in Greek calling on the people of Nahavand to obey the laws of the government. The inscription indicated the existence of the Laodicea Temple, which had been built by the Seleucid ruler who ruled Asia Minor, Antiochus III (223-187 BC), for his wife Laodicea.

Two other inscriptions as well as four bronze statuettes have been unearthed at the site, which are on display in the National Museum of Iran in Tehran . A number of capitals and bases of the temple’s columns excavated over the years are currently being used as decorations in Nahavand’s Hajian Bazaar and several other parts of the city.

Discovery of Parthian Earthenware Floors in Dastva City

2006-03-06T12:30:00.000-08:00

Tehran, 6 March 2006 (CHN)- Discovery of an earthenware floor in depth of 25 centimeter in the Sassanid halls in Dastva city surprised archaeologists. In addition, two other pillars were discovered in the Sassanid hall in Dastva historical city in Shushtar in Khuzestan province.
“In 25 meters depth of one on this pillars an earthenware floor were discovered. Although, some flag stoned floors had already been discovered, this is the first time an earthenware floor has been unearthed in an historical site in Iran. The architectural style of the discovered pillars indicated that most probably it must have been constructed during the Sassanid era, however it seems that the earthenware floor belonged to the Elamite-Parthian era,” said Mehdi Rahbar, archaeologists and head of excavation team in Dastva city.
Last season of archeological excavations in Dastva historical site led to the discovery of a 2000-year-old plaster window belonging to the Parthian-Elamite era and some unique stucco decorations for the first time in this historical site. Dastva city was established on the basin of Gargar River (the ancient name for Karun River) during the first century AD during the Elamite Period. This historical city was inhabited until the 9th and 10th centuries AD, and then little by little it was abandoned.
There were different local governments in this region some 2000 years ago; each of them functioned like an independent country. Sometimes the local rulers were allied and sometimes they came into clash with one another. The remained historical sites from that period indicate that the inhabitants of these regions enjoyed a comprehensive urban system contemporary with the Seleucids period (320-141 BC).

Remnants of Buddhism Found in Sabzevar

2006-03-05T13:28:00.000-08:00

LONDON, 05 March 2006 (CAIS) -- A team of Iranian and Japanese experts have discovered remnants of Buddhist culture at a site near Sabzevar, Khorasan Province, the Persian service of CHN reported on Saturday. The team, which began their research work last year, believes that they will find a Buddhist temple at the site. The Iranian director of the team, Hamid Fahimi, said that nineteen sites in the provinces of Zanjan, West Azerbaijan, Central, Kordestan, Hamedan, and Khorasan were studied, and the Pirestir site near Sabzevar was the location where Buddhist ruins were discovered.
According to Fahimi, architectural ruins, historical documents, and the local oral history have provided more evidence that Buddhists lived at the site in the late Sasanid and early post-Sasanid eras.
“According to the regional people, there were forty rooms around the Pirestir monument which non-Muslims used for worship. They said that the worshippers would not leave the rooms before they finished their prayers. The rooms had low ceilings and no windows. Inside the rooms were totally dark and the smoke left on the ceilings and the shelves show that the rooms had no holes to allow light to enter. The ceremony was similar to those of Buddhists,” he noted. He went on to say that the historical documents identify it as a site belonging to the Buddhists of ancient Iran, adding, “There is no accurate date for the events, but it is assumed that the rooms are older than Pirestir, dating back to the late Sasanid and early post-Sasanid eras.
“The team plans to continue their studies and work based on the historical documents. Studying the coins of the late Parthian and Sasanid eras is also one of the main tasks of the team since, in those years, the regional governors of Khorasan who had a tendency toward Buddhism used to mint coins bearing the image of Buddha,” he noted.
The Japanese team is directed by Tsuchi Hashirikobe and the experts come from Japan’s Nara International Foundation (NIFS). NIFS, a public-service corporation established by the governor of Nara prefecture in July 1989, aims to develop Nara into a center for historical and cultural research on the Silk Road, based on the achievements of the Silk Road Exposition of 1988.

Discovery of the Western Platform of Apadana Castle

2006-03-04T13:18:00.000-08:00

Tehran, 4 March 2006 (CHN) -- The giant western platform of Apadana Castle with a 380 square meters area has been unearthed after 12 years of archaeological excavations in this historical site. “The reconstruction of the previous accomplishments will be carried out after finishing the excavations. With the cooperation of the Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization of Khuzestan province and Susa city, this wall would be restored. The area between the wall of the platform and Imam Street in Susa city is supposed to change into a museum. However until this wall is not reconstructed we can not establish the museum,” said Mir Abedin Kaboli, head of archeological excavation team in Apadana Castle.
During their excavations in Susa historical site, French archaeologists believe that the only entrance of Apadana Castle located on the eastern side of Susa and there was no other gate, while western gate of Apadana Castle discovered during the recent excavations.
Discovery of the cladding and staircases in the western platform of Apadana Castle indicate that the castle entrance was from the western part.
Apadana Castle in Susa historical city in Khuzestan province was one of the most important castles during the Achaemenid era, and one of the most splendid ones in the world. Before the Islamic revolution in 1979, a French archaeological team carried out excavations in this castle which led to the discovery of a large number of valuable relics belonging to the Achaemenid era. These relics are now keept in the Louvre Museum in Paris.
Susa historical site in Khuzestan province is a large area containing various architectural structures belonging to the pre-historical to the Islamic period. This historical site was one of the most prominent centers of civilization in the world during the ancient times.

Iron Age Arrowhead Discovered in Zanjan Province

2006-03-04T13:10:00.000-08:00

LONDON, 4 March 2006 (CAIS) -- The team of archaeologists working at historical sites of Zanjan Province recently discovered several dishes and a brass arrowhead dating back to the Iron Age, the Persian service of CHN reported on Saturday. The discoveries were made at the historical sites of Abhar and Khorramdarreh.
The archaeologists were surprised to discover Iron Age artifacts in Zanjan Province. The director of the Abhar Cultural Heritage and Tourism Office said that the artifacts were found in an ancient cemetery near Abhar but gave no details about the exact location of the discovery.
Davud Abyan noted that during the previous two stages of excavations at Abhar and Khorramdarreh, several sites and artifacts were found, adding, “Most of the finds date back to the prehistoric era and the Iron Age, including ancient cemeteries, tepes, caves, and ancient sites.”
He also said that twelve historical sites which date back to the Achaemenid and Parthian dynastic eras, as well as early Post-Sasanian era were found on the grounds of the Soltanieh Dome and expressed hope that the next stage of excavations would begin soon.

Historic Sialk Left to be Destroyed

2006-03-03T17:52:00.000-08:00

LONDON, March 3, 2006(CAIS) -- Long-term plans should be devised to protect the historical Tappeh Sialk in the city of Kashan. Sadeq Malek Shahmirzadi, leading the Sialk excavation team, told ISNA that a five-year project had already been implemented on the ancient hill.
He recalled that French archaeologist Roman Ghirshman had initially excavated the area back in 1930s. Shahmirzadi regretted that vast sections of the hill had been destroyed due to poor protection.
Sialk is the oldest historical site in the Central Plateau, he said, recalling that a five-year project had been devised in 2001 to continue excavation work. “Three books have already been published on the results of the first three seasons of excavations. The collected information during the fourth season is also being compiled as a book,“ he explained.
Protection guards were stationed in the area since 2001. Making the remarks at the end of the five-year excavation project at Sialk, the archaeologist said he would no longer go there “because local officials are ignorant of archaeological considerations and they act in whatever way they desire.“
The archaeological site of Tappeh Sialk is an important Early Neolithic site near the modern town of Kashan in Iran, with occupations dated to as early as 6000 BC. The site contains one of the oldest ziggurats in the world, said to be 7,500 years old, and belonging to the Elamite civilization. The site was fist excavated in the 1930s, at least partly funded by the Louver Museum, where some of the artifacts are still stored.

Islamic, Sassanid, and Parthian Sites Discovered in Qeshm

2006-03-03T17:40:00.000-08:00

Tehran, 3 March 2006 (CHN) -- Archeological excavations in Qeshm Island (south of Iran) led to the discovery of 32 historical sites belonging to the Parthian (150 BC–AD 226), Sassanid (226–650 AD), and Islamic (650 AD-present day) periods. Existence of abundant evidence from Islamic era is indicative of trade growth in this part over this period of time, in particular over the Safavid Age (1501-1736 AD).
In an interview with CHN, Alireza Khosrowzadeh, archeologist and the head of survey and identification team in Qeshm Island said, “Survey of different islands of Persian Gulf which have been started with the goal of identifying pre-Islamic sites led to the discovery of one Parthian site, one Sassanid site and 30 Islamic sites. ”He added, “These settlements have mostly been formed in this region for trade and business purposes, a fact which shows that Qeshm Island has been located in the trade route connecting the northern parts of the Persian Gulf to its southern areas.”
On the different processes of excavations in the Island, Khosrowzadeh pointed out that various historical periods from ancient time to the Islamic era, different kinds of defensive fortification and citadels built during the pre-Islamic era, and the special systems of water transfer and water storage during the warm seasons will all be investigated in this stage.
The largest island in Iran, Qeshm, is located in the Persian Gulf and covers an area of 500 square miles (1295 sq km). Qeshm Island is a mostly rocky and barren island with a small human population. On the little cultivated land there is, dates and melons are grown. Qeshm Island was once an important center of trade in the Persian Gulf region.

Traces of Prehistoric Civilization Discovered in Shahrud

2006-03-02T23:28:00.000-08:00

Tehran, 2 March 2006 (CHN) -- Discovery of an 8000-year-old oven in Shahrud, a city in Semnan Province, revealed some evidence regarding the lifestyle of the people who lived in Shahrud Plain around 6000 BC. This discovery raised new questions about the method of life and crafts of the inhabitants of the region during the Neolithic epoch and before.
Soundings and stratigraphy works during the first season of excavations in Deh Kheir area, the area in which the oven was discovered, led to the discovery of some other heating systems in this pre-historical site. A similar oven has also been found during the second season of excavations.
“Discovery of these heating systems have helped in understanding the historical identification of these heating elements and the lifestyle and crafts of the people who lived in Shahrud Plain 8000 years ago,” said Hassan Rezvani, head of excavation team in Deh Kheir historical site.“In addition to crafts workshops and ovens, some clays and evidence of settlements were also found during the excavations which have increased the hope for finding more architectural remains in this area. A pile of burnt soil was found in the western part of the oven which has strengthened the possibility of the existence of pottery workshops in this area,” added Rezvani.
According to this archeologist, the most important characteristic of these ovens are their lids which are built in a way to allow air circulation in these ovens. He also expressed hope to find more ancient architectural evidence and ovens in the lower layers of the area.
The pre-historical site of Deh Kheir is located in Shahrud Plain, 15 kilometers from the city of Shahrud and near Deh Kheir Village. Archeological excavations in different parts of Shahrud Plain reveal the existence of life in this area during 7-5 millennium BC.

First Elamite Inscription Discovered in Bandar Abbas

2006-03-01T14:20:00.000-08:00

Tehran, 1 March 2006 (CHN) -- The recent archaeological excavations in Bandar Abbas, the southern port of Iran, led to the discovery of a Middle Elamite cuneiform inscription belonging to 1500 BC for the first time.
“Part of an inscription has been discovered in the city of Bandar Abbas in the vicinity of Sarkhoon Village in Hormozgan province, near a cemetery belonging to the Qajar era. Archeologists believe that this cuneiform inscription must have belonged to the Middle Elamite period. This is the first time such an inscription has been found in the city of Bandar Abbas. Considering the long distance between the province of Hormozgan and Khuzestan province, which was the origin of Elamite culture, discovery of this inscription in Bandar Abbas indicates the expansion of Elamite civilization to a great extent. This Elamite inscription is one of the few inscriptions which have been discovered in Hormozgan province and in Sarkhoon plain so far,” said Hossein Tofighian, head of archeological team in Bandar Abbas.
According to Tofighian, the expansion of Elamite civilization to the southern parts of the Persian Gulf and Boushehr Port and the traces of this civilization in Hormozgan province had already been approved. However, this is the first time such evidence has been found in Bandar Abbas.
The size of this inscription is six in seven centimeters with the thickness of two centimeters, and is carved on a stone. Archaeologists believe that this discovered inscription dates back to 1500 BC.
“The inscription has suffered serious harm and the other parts of it should be found in order to be more certain about the information given about it. Based on the evidence, the inscription should have been written in Elamite cuneiform. It was carved on a black stone in 9 lines. Some of the words are visible but no phrase can be read easily,” said Shahrokh Razmjou, an archeologist.
Bandar Abbas is a port city on the southern coast of Iran in the Persian Gulf. It is the capital of the Hormozgan province. The city occupies a strategic position on the narrow Strait of Hormoz. Thus, Bandar Abbas serves as a major shipping point for most imports, and has a long history of trade with India. Thousands of tourists visit the city and its nearby islands such as Qeshm and Hormoz every year.

Turkey to Return Iranian Antiques

2006-03-01T14:08:00.000-08:00

Tehran, 1 March 2006 (CHN) -- Following the previous efforts to redeem Iranian historical and cultural properties from Turkey, the authorities of Iran’s Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization (ICHTO) has prepared the draft of a memorandum of understanding to be signed by Tehran and Ankara authorities in order to protect the national interests and to return the historical and cultural relics which have been taken out of the country illegally.
"This is the first time such a memorandum of understanding has been prepared by ICHTO to redeem Iran’s historical and cultural relics which have been taken out illegally,” said Maryam Taheri, judicial expert of ICHTO in international affairs.
“After obtaining legal process we are determined to use the contents of this memorandum of understanding to prepare other ones to reach to an agreement in this respect with other countries as well,” added Taheri.
According to Taheri, this memorandum of understanding has been prepared in accordance with 1970 UNESCO Convention on the means of prohibiting and preventing the illicit import, export, and transfer of ownership of cultural property and the UNIDROIT Convention of stolen or illegally exported cultural objects adopted in Rome on June 29, 1995.
“Some expert investigations have been made so far for preparing this memorandum of understanding considering the existed files in international organizations and the conventions. Iran’s Foreign Ministry and the President Office have shown positive cooperation in this respect,” explained Taheri.
Joint cooperation among neighboring countries through signing agreements in this respect is one of the issues which Iran’s Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization has recently focused on in order to strengthen the power of governments to prevent the illegal exit of historical properties from the countries.
Prior to this, some negotiations had been made between Iran and Turkey in this respect during which both countries reached an agreement to prevent the illegal entrance of smuggled historical and cultural relics to the country and to pave the way for returning those ones which have been found in either country by deferent organizations.

Western Dais Discovered at Susa’s Apadana Palace

2006-03-01T13:59:00.000-08:00

LONDON, March 01, 2006(CAIS) -- Another dais was discovered on the western side of the Apadana Palace in Susa by chance during operations to install electrical power lines, the Persian service of CHN reported on Wednesday. Apadana had been excavated by a team of French archaeologists shortly before the 1979 revolution and many priceless artifacts discovered by the team were taken to the Louvre.
Archaeologists originally believed that the palace only had a dais in its eastern section until the new discovery. The western dais covers an area of 380 square meters. Susa was the capital of ancient Elam and also contains palaces of the Achaemenid emperors such as Darius the Great and Artaxerxes I. Apadana was Darius the Great' audience hall. The name was also given to a similar hall built by Darius at Persepolis.
“Archaeologists will begin restoration of the palace wall and other discoveries after the excavations are completed. But we need the assistance of provincial and cultural heritage officials for this,” said Mir Abedin Kaboli, the director of the archaeological team working at Apadana. “We plan to establish a museum in the area between the wall and Imam Khomeini Street in Shush (Susa), but it will be impossible before restoration of the wall,” he added.

Sivand Dam Waits for Excavations to be Finished

2006-02-26T14:35:00.000-08:00

Tehran, 26 February 2006 (CHN) -- Continuation of archeological excavations in Bolaghi Gorge and postponement of the inundation of Sivand Dam until finishing the excavations were the main accomplishments of Archeology Seminar for Bolaghi Gorge Salvation Project and the main agreement between Iran’s Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization (ICHTO) and Iran’s Ministry of Power.
The Archaeology Seminar for Bolaghi Gorge Salvation Project was held 23-24 of February in the city of Shiraz in Fars province with the attendance of head of the Research Center of ICHTO, Cultural Heritage representative in Iran’s parliament, some authorities of ICHTO and a large number of Iranian and foreign archeologists in order to study the archeological achievements which have been carried out so far in Bolaghi Gorge historical site and to determine the appropriate time for flooding of the Sivand Dam with causing the least harm to the historical sites of Bolaghi Gorge.
In this 2-day seminar, archeologists presented their reports and their future programs for Bolaghi Gorge Salvation Project.
“I am so glad to witness such an interactive cooperation between different organizations to save the archeological site of Bolaghi Gorge. Today the high cooperation among different domestic and foreign archeologists indicates the positive increase in cultural cooperation among different countries which is not comparable to the time when the first foreign archeological teams came to Iran about one hundred years ago. Such a comprehensive cooperation led to saving some important historical sites in Bolaghi Gorge which could have been lost due to the inundation of Sivand Dam,” said Taha Hashemi, head of Research Center of the Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization of Iran at the end of the seminar.
Taha Hashemi also explained that the research center of ICHTO welcomes any kind of cooperation in this respect.
“Based on the agreements made, the inundation of Sivand Dam will be postponed until the end of archeological and scientific research in Bolaghi Gorge historical site,” added Taha Hashemi. Restarting construction of Sivand Dam, located in Bolaghi Gorge, and the possibility of the destruction of historical sites behind the dam, made the authorities of the Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization of Iran, and Parse-Pasargadae organization to start some comprehensive planning to carry out archeological studies in this site. Research programs for Bolaghi Gorge Salvation Project started with the attendance of different research groups, each have carried out different excavations in different fields. The two day seminar from 23-24 of February was held under the title of “Archeological Seminar for Bolaghi Gorge Salvation Project”, in order to announce the results of the excavations and researches in this historical site. Major conclusions achieved in this seminar are as follows:

1) The participants of this seminar, Archeological Research Center, and Parse Pasargadae Organization appreciated those researchers who took part in this project.

2) Researchers and other participants in this seminar also appreciated the efforts made by all organizations especially Archaeology Research Center and Parse Pasargadae Organization for performing the Salvation Project.

3) Researchers and other participants in this seminar praised the coordination among the different organizations such as the Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization of Iran with Iran’s Ministry of Power for providing the opportunity for saving the historical site of Bolaghi Gorge.

4) Researchers and other attendees in this seminar insisted on the continuation of the research programs in Bolaghi Gorge to reach to a final decision about the historical sites of Bolaghi Gorge and to postpone the inundation of Sivand Dam until the announcement of the results.

5) It has been determined that in order to prevent such cases like that of Sivand Dam from happening again in the future, the authorities study the development projects carefully before performing them and check those which may be a threat to historical sites with the Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization of Iran.

6) The participants also condemned the recent terrorist attacks in Iraq which led to the destruction of some parts of the Shrines of Imam Hadi and Imam Asgari in Samara, while the Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization of Iran promised to do its best in the restoration of these holly places.

Excavation of Espidež Cemetery Suspended Due to Funding Shortfall

2006-02-26T14:32:00.000-08:00

LONDON, 26 February 2006 (CAIS) -- The third phase of excavations have been suspended at the 5,000-year-old Espidež cemetery due to a lack of funding and thus archaeologists will be unable to safeguard the site, which is being threatened by smugglers, the director of the team of archaeologists working at the ancient site said on Sunday.
“Smugglers searching for artifacts in the graves have destroyed the cemetery inch by inch. The artifacts have been plundered or broken in the graves, which are in bad condition, such that the team is not able to derive any information from them,” Mohammad Heydari told the Persian service of CHN.

Cultural heritage officials have allocated 300 million rials (about $33,000) for the third phase of excavations at the ancient site but the team has not yet received the funds.
The Espidež cemetery is located 25 kilometers from Zabol in Iran’s southeastern province of Sistan va Baluchestan. The cemetery is situated beside a road, facilitating the plunder of the graves by smugglers, Heydari said. The smugglers, who are often armed, have recently looted one hectare of the cemetery.

Iranian Heritage in the State of Disrepair, and ICHTO Prepared to Fund Renovation of Damaged Iraqi Monuments

2006-02-25T14:10:00.000-08:00

LONDON, 25 February 2006 (CAIS) -- While Iranian monuments are turning into cement, or the ancient cities being ploughed by farmers and in general the national heritage is in the state of disrepair and desperately in need of financial support to be salvaged, ICHTO (Iran Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization) has declared its readiness to provide funds for the renovation of Iraqi monuments damaged during recent bombings (tombs of tenth and eleventh Shia Imams al-Hadi and al-Hassan al-Askari, were badly damaged in bomb attacks in Iraq on February 22), Taha Hashemi the cleric and director of the ICHTO Research Centre told the Persian service of CHN on Thursday.
Hashemi believes that Iranians' duty is to cooperate in the reconstruction process of the tombs, saying, “As Muslims, we must maintain our religious monuments, and to this end, the ICHTO plans to make use of all its facilities and experts”; whereas the authority's legion and their first duty as Iranians should have been with Iran and protecting Iranian heritage.
For the reconstruction of the ancient city of Bam, and current archaeological salvage operation in Tang-e Bolaghi, Iranians had to seek financial aid from foreign countries. As the result of the Sivand dam construction, the regime pose a great danger to the prehistoric and historical Iranian monuments in Fars province. The dam will submerge not only the Tang-e Bolaghi and Achaemenid Imperial Road, but also poses a grave danger to Pasargadae and Persepolis; -By creating an artificial lake which creates an excessive humidity in the region, it could have a devastating and irreversible effect on their structures. The extent of the damages are unknown and cannot be ascertained due to lack of funding.
Currently in Iran hundreds of archaeological and historical sites are in the state of disrepair, such as Sasanid Gondi-Shapour (right fig), Parthian Bardneshaned and Partho-Sasanind Ray, which could be lost forever as the result of negligence, surrounded factories, excessive framings and illegal excavations and nothing has been done to save them, again as the result of a lack of funding. It is quite ironic that if Iranian national heritage would have been called "Palestinian Heritage" or "Arab Heritage", without any doubt the regime and those who are in charge of ICHTO, would have being in the queue to sacrifice their lives in order to save and protect them. Therefore, the only plausible solution is to change the name of Iran to Palestine, and claim that Ancient Iranians were Palestinians, to protect Iran's national heritage from complete destruction.

Discovery of the Main Part of Kenar Sandal's Ziggurat

2006-02-25T13:15:00.000-08:00

Tehran, 25 February 2006 (CHN) -- Continuation of archeological excavations in Jiroft, a city in Kerman Province, resulted in the discovery of its main Ziggurat in Kenar Sandal historical site. This Ziggurat is one to three centuries older than the most ancient Mesopotamian Ziggurat. A ziggurat is a temple tower of the ancient Assyrians and Babylonians, having the form of a terraced pyramid of successively receding stories. One of the best remained ziggurats is Tchogha Zanbil situated southwest of Iran in Khuzestan province.
“The main raised stairs of Kenar Sandal’s Ziggurat were discovered during the archeological excavations in Jiroft historical site. At first it was supposed that this part was constructed prior to the previous lower stair, however the studies indicate that this architectural style is 200 years older than the previous one, which means that the whole structure was constructed in two different periods of time,” said Yousof Majidzadeh, head of archeological excavation team in Halil Rud region.
According to Majidzadeh, Ur Ziggurat is the most historical one which is in the Mesopotamian region, dating back to 2100 BC. This way this newly discovered raised platform is one to three centuries older than the first Mesopotamian Ziggurat.
“The reconstruction of this ziggurat will be carried out in accordance with its original form. Since this architectural style has been discovered at the end of this season of excavation, another week was given to archeologists to unearth the whole construction,” added Majidzadeh. Archeologists have been successful in discovering two stories of this construction so far, but according to the evidence, this construction must have originally had 3 stories. The dimension of the first level of this construction is 300x300 meters and that of the second level is 150x150 meter.
Considering what has been discovered so far in Jiroft historical site, a large number of Iranian and foreign archeologists believe that the civilization in this historical site was as rich and vast as those of Mesopotamian and Sumerian. The discoveries in Jiroft indicate that the art of carving visible in this historical site was more developed than that of the Sumerian civilization which is believed to be the most ancient civilization of the world.
Halil Rud historical site, located near the city of Jiroft in Kerman province, was one of the first places where civilization and urbanization were established. 120 historical sites have been discovered on the 400-kilometer basin of Halil Rud River so far. This ziggurat which belongs to the first half of the third millennium BC is one of the most important discoveries in Kenar Sandal historical site. Iranian and foreign archeologists are determined to clarify the whole original structure of this ziggurat in Jiroft historical site.

Traces of the First Susa Governments Discovered in Sustar

2006-02-24T14:26:00.000-08:00

Tehran, 24 February 2006 (CHN) -- Archeological excavations in Tal-e Abouchizan in Sustar in Khuzestan province resulted in the discovery of three stamp-seals in this historical site. These seals were made of tar and must have been used for sealing the storehouses in which goods were kept. This is the first time such seals have been discovered in a historical site in Khuzestan province. Although some stamps were discovered in some of the graves in Susa, another city in Khuzestan province, it is the first time such evidence has been discovered in the archeological layers of Sustar.
Discovery of three seals for the first time in Tal-e Abouchizan near the city of Sustar resulted in finding the traces of the founders of the first governments in Susa some 7000 years ago. These seals indicate the existence of a socio-political disciplinary system in the society at that time which led to the establishment of the first governments in Khuzestan province.
“Most probably the seals were used for controlling trades which resulted in forming of the first local ruling system in Khuzestan province,” said Mehdi Moghadam, head of archeological excavation team in Tal-e Abouchizan historical site.
According to Moghadam, the existence of these seals indicates the importance of this region some 6000 year ago and its influence on the forming of first governments in Susa. “The existence of these seals is as a sign of a revolution in the form of ruling system in Khuzestan. Some signs can be seen on these seals which are not readable,” added Moghadam.
“Some important changes took place in Khuzestan plain at the end of the 5th century BC. By adding beans and animal meets in food baskets of families, sources of livelihood changed in the region. Big settlement areas changed into smaller ones and ultimately led to the establishment of the city of Susa which held one of the most powerful governments in Khuzestan province. Taking into account that Tal-e Abuchizan was one of the cultural sites in the region, most probably it had the highest influence on Susa’s ruling system and the first governments in Khuzestan originated from this region,” explained Moghadam.
Tal-e Abouchizan is one of the marginal sites of Susa which contains some historical evidence from the Elamite to the Islamic period. Tal-e Abouchizan has a strategic position. From east it leads to Ramhormoz, Behbahan, and Fars, from west it leads to Sustar and Susa, and from the south it leads to Ahvaz and the Persian Gulf. The first season of excavation has started in this region to find out the role of the area in the establishment of the first governments in Susa.

Heavy Rain Damages Parthian Bardneshandeh Temple

2006-02-24T14:21:00.000-08:00

LONDON, 24 February 2006 (CAIS) -- Recent rainfalls in Masjed-Soleiman and Chaharmahal-Bakhtiari provinces have caused damage to historical monuments, Persian Service of ISNA reported.

Director of Masjed-Soleiman Cultural Heritage and Tourism Department, Mohammad Zarasvandi Alipour announced that recent rainfalls caused heavy damages to some sections of the Parthian temple at Bardneshandeh and the route leading to it.

"Some 80 percent of the Parthian temple had already been destroyed due to a number of reasons and only 20 percent remain standing," he said complaining that no measures have so far been taken to repair the ancient temple.

If this continues, there will be no sign of Bardneshandeh in the future, he warned. Meanwhile deputy head of the Chaharmahal-Bakhtiari provincial Cultural Heritage and Tourism Department's for protection and restoration affairs estimated the damages at over 800 million Rials and hoped that the provincial Governor General's Office and the Management and Planning Organization will allocate funds for emergency measures to save the monuments.

Noting that safeguarding cultural heritage is a national duty, he called on the people in the province to collaborate in protecting historical monuments throughout the province.

World Archeologists Rush to Rescue the Bolaghi Gorge

2006-02-24T14:13:00.000-08:00

Tehran, 22 February 2006 (CHN) -- Tomorrow, an archeology seminar will be held in Fars Province with the attendance of several Iranian and foreign joint archeological teams to discuss immediate approaches to rescue the Bolaghi Gorge and its historical sites and relics which are in danger of drowning by water from Sivand Dam built in this area.
“During the seminar which is going to be held on February 23 with the support of Archeological Research Center of Iran’s Cultural Heritage & Tourism Organization (ICHTO), Parse-Pasargadae Research Center, and the Cultural Heritage & Tourism Organization of Fars Province, fourteen Iranian-Foreign joint archeological teams will announce the results of their excavations in and around the Gorge of Bolaghi during the past one and a half year,” said Alireza Qaedian, chairman of ICHTO office in Fars Province.
Qaedian added, “Presentation of the results of recent excavations by various experts with modern views in the fields of archeology, anthropology, ethnology, osteology, biology and geophysics in a particular geographical spot during different archeological periods including Paleolithic, Pre-historic, early history, Achaemenid, Sassanid and Islamic eras is among the specifications of this important seminar.
”In this seminar, in addition to announcements which will be made by Iranian-Polish joint body regarding their studies in several sites belonging to Sassanid era (226–650 AD) in the region of Bolaghi Gorge, Iranian-Japanese joint team will present its finding of one of the most important discovered caves in the region in relation to the lifestyle over the Paleolithic and stone ages,” noted Qaedian.
According to Qaedian, Iranian-Italian joint body will also present the result of their researches on one of the most significant sites of Bolaghi Gorge, which is very important in terms of social and non-urban lifestyle. Accordingly, other joint teams from France, Germany and also a body form Archeological Association of Tehran University will deliver their findings from this region in tomorrow’s seminar.

Post-Achaemenid Constructions Discovered in Bolaghi Gorge

2006-02-22T02:06:00.000-08:00

Tehran, 22 February 2006 (CHN) -- Geophysical research in northern part of the Number 64 area of Bolaghi Gorge led to the discovery of three settlement complexes with several rooms belonging to the Post-Achaemenid* to the Sassanid era.
According to Ali Asadi, head of Iranian-Polish excavation team in Bolaghi Gorge, three settlement complexes dating back to the post-Achaemenid era were buried in the no. 64 area. “The geophysical maps show that these three settlement complexes consisted of several units, the usage of which is still unknown to us,” said Ali Asadi to CHN.
Some geophysical studies have recently been carried out in a 2-hectar area of the residential parts of no. 64 area and on the wall separating this area from the cemetery of the no. 65 area. Geophysical studies will provide the opportunity for the archeologists to find out the evidence buried at Bolaghi Gorge over time without any need for digging.
According to Asadi, the wall which separates the settlement complexes of no. 64 area and the cemetery of no. 65 area belongs to the Sassanid era. “What has still remained unknown for the archeologists is that while the cemetery belongs to the Sassanid era, the settlement complexes date back to the post-Achaemenid era. Therefore, we are going to carry out more archeological excavations in these two areas to find out the relationship between this cemetery and the settlement complexes,” added Asadi.
Archeological excavations started in Bolaghi Gorge, located 18 kilometers from Pasargadae historical site in Fars Province, when it was announced that the indentation of the newly constructed Sivand Dam will pose a real threat to this historical site which is believed to have been the location of the ancient King Road and one of the historical sites of the Pasargadae Complex. With inundation of the dam, 130 historical sites unearthed so far in Bolaghi Gorge, including the newly discovered settlement complexes, will drown. To save the main parts of Bolaghi Gorge before flooding, some joint teams from Iran and foreign countries are currently carrying out archeological excavations in this historical site with the cooperation of Sivand Dam authorities and Bolaghi Gorge Salvation Team.
The second season of excavation has started with the presence of a joint Iranian-German team to search for pre-historic life in Bolaghi Gorge. The next season of excavations in the historical site of Bolaghi Gorge will start in the coming spring season.

Discovery of 6000-Year-Old Archaeological Site in Qom

2006-02-21T11:58:00.000-08:00

LONDON, 21 February 2006 (CAIS) -- Digging in an area about 300 meters from the Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization building of Qom city, near the tomb of Masumeh, sister of eight Shiite Imam, resulted in the discovery of a 6,000-year-old historical site in this old texture of the city.

“When the loaders were removing the earth near the building of the CHTO of Qom, their blades dug into the remains of a historical site. Archaeological studies on this region indicate that the human settlement in this area dates back to the 4th millennium BC,” said Siamak Sarlak, an archaeologist of the ICHTO and director of archaeological team in Qom.

With discovery of this historical site, construction activities in the area were stopped and a letter was submitted to Iran’s Archaeological Research Center requesting this center to carry out archaeological research in this historical site.

Prior to this accidental discovery, archaeologists in Qom had found remarkable evidence in Qoli Darvish Historical Tappeh which by itself proved the importance of the city of Qom in historical context.

This new discovery has partially answered the questions archaeologists were facing with during their excavation at Qoli Darvish Tappeh.

“Archeological excavations in Qoli Darvish historical Tappeh faced archaeologist with a lot of questions. There is a long historical gap seen in Qoli Darvish historical site which we do not know anything about. The layers belonging to the fifth and third millennium BC have been identified during the archaeological excavations in this historical site. But nothing has remained from the fourth millennium BC. Since the Qom River flooded several times in the course of history, it is believed that the people of the region must have migrated to other regions during this one millennium interruption. Now with the discovery of this historical site belonging to the 4th millennium BC, it is supposed that the inhabitants of Qoli Darvish migrated to the present-day city of Qom and then they returned to Qoli Darvish hill after 1000 years,” explained Sarlak.

Only 100 square meters have been survived from this 6,000-year-old historical site.

“The discovered artifacts in this historical site indicate the existence of a rich culture in the region. Most of the potteries have been decorated with animal designs such as leopard and duck, while geometrical designs seem to be popular during that time. The remained residential areas in this region exhibit a mud-brick architectural style, some parts of which has remained intact,” explained Sarlak.

Discovery of this pre-historic site indicates that the residency in the city of Qom dates back to the fourth millennium BC.

Archeologists in Search of Heraclius in Khosrow’s Castle

2006-02-20T10:56:00.000-08:00

Tehran, 20 February 2006 (CHN) -- Archeological excavations have stated that they have found one of the biggest and strangest architectural structures of the world, the traces of Heraclius, the Roman Emperor in the Khosrow Parviz's castle. In some historical books, this Roman Emperor has been described as the plunderer of Khosrow’s Castle in Qasr-e Shirin a city in Kermanshah Province, which indicates the importance of this castle.
“Foreign archeologists provided a plan from Khosrow Parviz Castle, which today is the resource of the studies of the Sassanid architectural style. The first plan of this castle was prepared by Jacques de Morgan, French archeologist, later on developed by other archeologists. However, none of them is very precise,” said Yousof Moradi, head of the Kermanshah-Qasre Shirin Sassanid Project. Archeologists, geographers, and historians all talk about the stunning architectural style used in the construction of this castle. “Nobody knows the exact date of the construction of the castle and its usage. Whether it was used as a management center or had merely an economical usage or both. During our excavations, we are trying to find an answer to this question. In addition, we are trying to find out about other rulers who lived in this complex, the influence of the architectural style of this castle on other monuments built afterwards, the changes made in this castles and its usage after the end of the Sassanid era,” said Moradi.
Khosrow Parviz castle is located on the north of the city of Qasr-e Shirin, near a square dome fire temple. Its building is 500 meter in height and 150 meter in width. Iranian and Arabic geographers such as Yaghoot Hamavi have described it as one of the wonders of the world. Recent excavations have aslo lead to the discovery of a defensive wall and 35 historical sites in Qasre-Shirin.

Discovery of 110 Archaeological Mounds in Sar Pol-e-Zahab

2006-02-20T10:49:00.000-08:00

LONDON, 20 February 2006(CAIS) -- Latest archeological excavations in the city of Sar Pol-e-Zahab resulted in the discovery of 110 historical sites and hills. With the discovery of stone tools and vases belonging to the Neolithic period (6,500 BC).

“110 historical sites were discovered during the archeological excavations. The discovered stone tools and potteries in the area indicate that the history of this area goes back to the Neolithic period and continued to the Parthian and Sasanid dynastic eras. The archeological excavations also led to the discovery of two clay workshops. Although the exact place of the workshops is not clarified yet, the existence of various clays in the region indicates that there must be some clay workshops in the area,” said Shahin Kermanjani, head of archeological excavation team in Sar Pol-e-Zahab.

According to Kermanjani, these excavations were carried out in order to discover the historical sites of Sar Pol-e-Zahab city. Although the excavations have started about 40 days ago, since a lot of expected historical sites have not been discovered yet, it is estimated that the excavations continue for another two months.

“These evidences were discovered in north and northwest of Sar Pol-e-Zahab city. The discovered stone tools were used for peeling fruits, cutting meets, and piercing. These stone tools were made in different sizes,” added Kermanjani.

A large area of these historical hills has been levelled by the farmers for agricultural usage, but archeologists are trying to save the remaining ones. Sar Pol-e-Zahab is located in Kermanshah province. Due to its pleasant weather it was the residence of different tribes during different periods of time. Archeological excavations in this historical site indicate the existence of a continual life in its residential area.

The file of these historical sites will be submitted to the Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization of Iran in a near future to be inscribed in the list of Iran’s National Heritage.

Characteristics & Uniqueness of Elamite Ziggurat Identified

2006-02-18T12:42:00.000-08:00

LONDON, 18 February 2006 (CAIS) -- The ziggurat in the ancient Elamite city of Dur Untash (modern Choghazanbil) in Khuzestan province, which was built during the reign of Untash-Gal (1275-1240 BC), is significant given that it is the only ziggurat to have been excavated and identified as being totally different from those unearthed in Mesopotamia in terms of architecture.
Expressing this, a veteran Iranian archeologist, Mohammad Rahim Sarraf told ISNA that while the idea of constructing a ziggurat at Dur Untash originated in Mesopotamia, it was built completely in the Elamite style.
Mesopotamian ziggurats were constructed in the form of stories built over each other whereas in the Elamite structures, the foundations of all stories were on the ground and not over each other while only the fifth story was over the fourth.
Elaborating on the other differences between them, Sarraf said that in the Mesopotamian version, there were no chambers in the lower levels and the edifice had a solid platform with a sole room over it. The room, he pointed out, was used to house the statues of the gods.
Choghazanbil ziggurat however had several chambers and two temples on the first story in addition to a room used for the same purpose on the fourth floor, he noted.
Turning to the special form of Choghazanbil Ziggurat, the archeologist further said that initially Untash Gall built in Choghazanbil a temple with a central courtyard surrounded by rooms and other temples.
Then several stories were constructed in the yard.“In Mesopotamian ziggurats, the staircase of the structure directly lead to the upper floors but in Choghazanbil ziggurat, the worshipers should spiral round each story to get to the upper floors,“ he said.
The project for the restoration of Choghazanbil ziggurat played a significant role in saving the monument, he said, noting that if it had remained in that condition, the ziggurat would have been destroyed within years.

Painted Bas-Reliefs of Sasanid Imperial Family Unearthed in Gur

2006-02-18T12:24:00.000-08:00

LONDON, 18 February 2006 (CAIS) -- The team of archaeologists working at the Sasanid city of Gur has completely unearthed the bas-reliefs of four members of the Sasanid imperial family which they had discovered in the Menarshahr region of the ancient site in early January, the Persian service of CHN reported on Saturday.

Carved on one of the walls of a newly discovered palace at the site, these colorful unique bas-reliefs depict two princesses along with a prince and child with a calf. The team had previously unearthed only the heads of the bas-reliefs and knew nothing about their clothing or other accessories.

“The imperial family members are all young, and this is the first time such bas-reliefs have been discovered from the era when King of Kings Ardashir I (224-241 CE) reigned,” the head of the archaeological team, Leili Niakan, said.

"All of the bas-reliefs are intact except one of the princesses, whose head has been destroyed by the ravages of time", she added.

“These bas-reliefs show the continuity and survival of Parthians art during the Sasanid dynastic era in its early stages. The colors have skillfully been used as the bas-reliefs seem alive on the walls. They have used green and crimson to paint the shapes,” Niakan explained.

“The child seems to be the son of the princess standing beside him. The prince stands beside the other princess with a certain dignity. The clothing of the princess indicates that she also is young and may be the wife of the prince,” she added.

Located 10 kilometers from Firuzabad in Fars Province, the circle-shaped city of Gur was the first capital of the forth Iranian dynasty, the Sasanids, which was established during the reign of the founder of the dynasty, king of kings Ardashir I. Very few studies have been carried out on the city, which is one of the five most important Sasanid cities. It covers an area of 300 hectares.

The excavations are being carried out in order to save the site, which is threatened by farmers who are cultivating the lands beneath which most of the ancient city lies buried.

Over 30 percent of the upper level of the city has been flattened and its walls have been seriously damaged by farmers’ activities over the centuries.

Reconstruction of Bam Citadel Needs Time and Patience

2006-02-18T11:59:00.000-08:00

LONDON, 18 February 2006 (CAIS) -- Mike Corfield, a heritage science and conservation consultant from Britain, who was previously the Chief Scientist for English Heritage, came to Iran by the invitation of UNESCO office in Tehran to reconsider the situation of Bam Citadel and the reconstruction process after the earthquake.

It was his second visit to Bam Citadel after the earthquake of January 2003. In an interview with CHN, Corfield expressed his satisfaction about the restoration process in Bam Citadel; meanwhile he strongly insisted that such a mega project needs a lot of time to be completed.

The 2000-yeasr-old Bam Citadel was one of the largest adobe structures in the world and one of the most beautiful historical sites in Iran, belonging to the Arsacid dynastic era.

Unfortunately, more than 80 percent of this magnificent citadel collapsed when a massive earthquake hit the city of Bam more than two years ago which brought the city to ruins, leaving tens of thousands dead and homeless.

The inscription of the Bam Citadel on the World Heritage list at the 28th session of the UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee in China was a giant step towards renovating this historical site.

The cooperation of several countries in the reconstruction of Bam Citadel has changed this project into an international one. Japan, Italy, and France are among countries which started their cooperation with this project from the very beginning. Japan has granted some 500,000 US dollars to Iran for the reconstruction of Bam Citadel, besides it has supported Iranian government in this project with sending some equipments and creating the 3D plan of Bam Citadel to increase the accuracy of the renovation and salvation activities of the citadel. Italy has funded 300,000 US dollars in the Salvation Project of Bam. It has also dispatched a team of Italian experts to restore the main tower of Bam. France has also helped the government of Iran by providing the map of Bam Citadel. World Bank has also granted a large sum of money to this project. According to Corfield, a number of good steps have been taken so far for the reconstruction of Bam Citadel, and a large amount of debris has been removed. “Altogether, it seems to me that Bam is rapidly coming back to life,” said Corfield. He also mentioned that a lot have been done to prevent the danger of collapse of the citadel, and there is less risk of the building’s collapse compared to last year when he had visited the citadel for the first time. “My feeling is that it is a project that is progressing and developing successfully,” said Corfield to CHN correspondent.

Corfield also explained that during the archeological excavation for Bam Salvation Project they have found out how the history developed in the region over the course of time. “I think as well the tremendous impetuous of the work led to exploration of the countryside. This plus the discovery of archeological remains from 5000 years ago helped us to understand how Bam was supported by different towns and villages around from ancient times to today. All of these indicate the good management in reconstruction of Bam Citadel,” added Corfield.

According to Corfield, there are many historical sites around the city of Bam, such as the magnificent fortress of Darestan is eastern Bam. He also explained that much historical evidence from different periods of time including the Achaemenid, Parthian, Sassanid, and Islamic periods have been discovered in the vicinity of Bam which indicated the flourishing of this city during the ancient times.

“The most important is the system of quanat (aqueduct) and how they were useful in maximizing the water supply. Discovery of some very ancient aqueducts show that it is even possible that this rich technique spread to other places from Bam,” said Corfield.

Corfield strongly believed that determining a definite time by which the reconstruction of Bam Citadel is completed is just impossible and that is due to the large amount of work which should be done in this respect. According to Corfield, the accuracy in reconstruction of Bam is more important than speed. “It is much depending on how much evidence we can find by looking through photographs and maps. It is also important to try to maintain its original structure to represent its past,” said Corfield.

Corfield believed that Bam Citadel will regain its original splendor again; however, it will take a long time. “The people and the government of Iran should be patient in this respect. It may seem easy to try to be quick and to implement rapid ways in the reconstruction of Bam Citadel, but it is really dangerous to act this way. There has to be a compatibility of material use in the restoration to use appropriate and strong materials in an appropriate way.” added Corfield.

Considering the importance of being accurate in the reconstruction of Bam Citadel, Corfield explained that the salvation team is trying to do research to identify the correct form of Bam Citadel and to make sure to undertake an accurate archeological study on this historical site. They are also trying to get the position of Bam regularized to save it from being placed in the endangered heritage list of UNESCO. ( Although if you visit the website its already been placed on the endangared list!!)

At the end, he explained that Bam’s Salvation Project is a humanitarian issue and it is absolutely independent from political quarrels and the foreign teams that are currently working on this project are trying to do their best to bring back the glory of the past to this city with the help of Iranian government and experts.

Burnt City's Women Were in Charge of their Family Financial Affairs

2006-02-18T11:53:00.000-08:00

LONDON, 18 February 2006 (CAIS) -- Nine seasons of archeological excavations in the graves of Burnt City Historical Site, located in Sistan va Baluchestan Province, led to discovery of clay stamps in the graves of women indicate that the women were in charge of managing the economy of their families and played important roles in the society around 3,000 BC.
“Enormous family clay stamps were discovered during the past eight seasons of excavations in Burnt City, most of which were found in the women’s graves. These stamps were used as family insignia. The 9th season of excavation also led to the same results,” said Dr. Mansoor Sajjadi, head of archeological excavation team in Burnt City.
On the types of the discovered clay stamps, Sajjadi pointed out that “the clay stamps found in different historical sites so far are generally categorized in two forms of cylindrical and flat stamp shapes. The discovered stamps in Burnt City are of the flat type, and were used as the family insignia. These stamps were applied just for family affairs and were different from the state stamps.”
Sajjadi also stressed that, “Discovery of the clay stamps in the graves of women may not be used to claim that the society of that time was a matriarchal one. The stamps were not being used in qualitative control of economy in the society and there have been insignificant signs of personal or family stamps on the goods stored in storage rooms. However, it can safely be said that women were in charge of controlling the economy of their families.”
Burnt City, situated in Sistan va Baluchestan Province, southeast of Iran, is one of the most important pre-historic sites of the country. Nine seasons of archeological excavations in the site indicate that Burnt City was an important center of civilization and trade some 5000 years ago. Burnt City is regarded as a crucial historical site in the eastern Iranian plateau.
Some unique relics such as the animated figure of a goat on a clay barrel, which is believed to be the first animation work in the history of the world, and a very unique backgammon, which is also believed to be the oldest one in the world, have been discovered in this historical site during the archeological excavations.

Restoration of Cyrus Tomb Resumed

2006-02-17T13:30:00.000-08:00

Tehran, 17 February 2006 (CHN) -- The Tomb of Cyrus the Great, Achaemenid King who ruled over Persia from 550 to 530 BC, was surrounded again by scaffolds so that the process of restoring its stones may be resumed.

“These scaffolds will remain around Cyrus’ tomb for one year to support the construction from rain and snow during this raining season before completion of the project and to ensure the safety of the building until the restoration of the stones of this ancient monument is completed,” said Reza Rezaei, the new director of Pasargadae historical complex.

According to Rezaei, following the establishment of Pasargadae Research Base, these scaffolds were installed around Cyrus’ tomb several times, and each time different sections of this tomb were renovated. This time, the project focuses on the ceiling of this stone monument. One of the main features of this tomb is that its entrance doorway is constructed to face the sunset, which was due to the fact that Cyrus loved the twilight view.

Pasargadae, located 70 km north of Persepolis, was the oldest capital of the ancient Achaemenid empire, built by the founder of this empire, King Cyrus the Great (559-330 BC). It resembled a park of 2x3 km in which several monumental buildings were to be seen. Prior to his death, Cyrus founded a new capital city at Pasargadae in Fars Province and had established a government for his Empire. Pasargadae covered an area of almost 1.5 miles in length and included palaces, a temple and the tomb of Cyrus the Great. The city was built on the site where King Cyrus defeated the leader of the Medes, Astyages, in 550 BC. Cyrus appointed a governor (a ‘Satrap’ in ancient Persian) to represent him in each province; however, the administration, legislation, and cultural activities of each province were the responsibility of the Satraps. This historical complex along with the Tomb of Cyrus the Great were inscribed in UNESCO’s list of World Heritage Sites last year.

Two Ancient Caves Discovered in Qasr-e Shirin

2006-02-16T00:05:00.000-08:00

Tehran, 16 February 2006 (CHN) -- Archeological excavations in the city of Qasr-e Shirin resulted in the discovery of two caves belonging to the Neolithic era and the Middle Elamite period.
“Two caves were discovered in the southern foothills of Bazidar Mountains, one of them dates back to some 9000 years ago during the Neolithic era, and the other belongs to the Middle Elamite period and contemporary to the Iron Age in Zagross and Central Plateau of Iran. A large number of stone tools have also been discovered in a small cave during the excavations. The depth and the opening of this cave are both 6 meters and it seems that it was used as a shelter by the inhabitants of the region. During Iran-Iraq war this cave was used by Iraqi soldiers as bulwark and now the local nomads use this cave to keep their cattle in it,” said Ali Hajbari, head of excavation team in Qasr-e Shirin.
Prior to this, archeological excavations in the city of Qasr-e Shirin led to the discovery of the defensive wall of Khosrow Parviz Castle and 35 other historical sites. 40 kilometers of this wall is located inside Iran and the rest of it continues in Iraq’s soil. Archeologists believe that Khosrow Parviz, the Sassanid King, constructed this shell-keep to protect his beloved, Shirin.
The 35 discovered historical sites belong to the Neolithic era (6500 BC) and Chalcolithic period (5000-3000 BC) relating to the middle and new Elamite and Achaemenid periods.
Moreover, archeological excavations at the historical site of Qasr-e Shirin resulted in the discovery of some clays belonging to the Uruk period (Mesopotamia civilization) and special kinds of clays belonging to the beginning of written language.

Kool Farah's Mysterious Worship Place Awaits Registration

2006-02-15T14:39:00.000-08:00

Tehran, 15 February 2006 (CHN) -- Ayapir Cultural Heritage Team is determined to prepare the file of six Elamite intaglios in Kool Farah, the biggest worship place of Iran during the ancient times, in the list of UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites.
Kool Farah is situated 7 kilometers southeast of Eazeh in Khuzestan province and is one of the most important historical sites of this province. It is located in a gorge surrounded by two stone mountains on which there are engravings depicting the figure heads of a monarch, a commander, a man and a women, captives, and animals such as cow, bison and sheep. It shows a form of worship or respect and the offering of gifts to the ruler. This engraving belongs to the Elamite period (2700 BC-539 BC). There is also an Elamite inscription on the northern wall of the gorge and the carved image of Kool Farah governor.
“No clarified picture has been provided from these intaglios so far. Since the intaglios were carved in different levels, it is not easy to take a vivid picture from them and it requires some special technical methods. Understanding the meanings of these carvings would give us a new conception about the ancient religious ceremonies of Elamite civilization. On the other hand, it would also be another step toward preparing the file for inscribing this unique historical site in the list of UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites,” said Jafar Mehrkian, archeologists and head of Ayapir Cultural Heritage Team.
The intaglio of 400 figures in a ceremonial religious ritual can be seen in this worship place. Mehrkian believes that these engravings somehow indicate the first appearance of religious ideologies in human beings. The scene of carrying the Gods, scarifying, and music performances can also be seen in these intaglios.
“Studies on Eazeh historical sites, including Tarshia and Narsina worship places, aim at preparing a comprehensive file for these ancient sites to be sent to UNESCO for world registration,” said Mehrkian.

Original Design of Destroyed Staircase at Persepolis Unravelled

2006-02-13T12:12:00.000-08:00

LONDON, February 13, 2006 (CAIS) -- For the first time, an archeological team in Persepolis Historical Site found out the original design of one of the destroyed staircases of Persepolis. This design reveals the construction of staircase of the G-palace which is located behind Darius the Great' Palace.

“There is a destroyed staircase in the southern part of Persepolis in the southern yard of Darius’ Palace which leads to a hill. The design of the staircase was in accordance with that of the Darius' Palace which indicates that this staircase must have been constructed with a new palace at the time of Ardeshir III (Artaxerxes). The destroyed staircase was connecting the new palace with of Darius' Palace; nothing has remained from that palace today", said Afshin Yazdani, archeologist in Persepolis and head of excavation team of G-Palace staircase.

"For an unknown reason, this staircase was moved to the south of Darius’ Palace during the Post-Achaemenid era,” Yazdani added.

This staircase was constructed between 359-335 BC and was one of the most last constructions of Persepolis prior to to collapse of Achaemenid Empire by Alexander II, the Macedonian warlord in 333 BC.

“The staircase of G-palace is very similar to that of Darius’ Palace, the only difference between them is that while in Darius’ Palace the staircase leads to the terrace of the palace through two landings; in the staircase of G-palace you should pass two small wings which were constructed vertically in front of the terrace to reach to the landings” added Yazdani.

However, the decoration of the staircases are not similar to the rest of Persepolis, especially, the reliefs showing Median and Persian dignitaries are not as sophisticated as the Darius’ Palace decoration.

“It was late professor Erich Schmidt of Chicago University who presented the design of the plan of this staircase for the first time. His investigation of Persepolis were reported in three enormous, comprehensive volumes. However, although his approach was organised and meticulously noted where he had fond almost every fragment of the palace, but he made some errors with his reconstruction. In some places he has designed six stairs for this staircase, while somewhere else in his book he has considered eleven stairs for the entrance gate and central courtyard of Darius’ Palace. Nevertheless, the exact plan of this staircase was identified during the archeological excavations near Xerxes Palace which led to the discovery of broken blocks,” explained Yazdani about the plan of G-palace staircase.

Studies on this staircase revealed that the small wings led to the staircase landings through seven stairs and then 11 stairs connected the landings to the terrace. This way the total number of stairs reached 18 and the number of Median and Persian reliefs on the walls of this staircase was 136 to begin with making the staircase of the G-palace the biggest staircase of Persepolis Palace Complex.

Persepolis Palace Complex is one of the most prominent and splendid historical sites of ancient world which dates back to the Achaemenid dynastic era (648 BC–330 BC). The exact date of the construction of Persepolis is not known, but it is assumed that Darius the Great began working on the 33-acre terrace with its underground drainage system between 518 and 516 BC, so Persepolis palace to be built over as the ceremonial capital of Persian Empire.

However, Persepolis and its magestic halls and residential palaces perished in flames when Alexander II conquered and looted the terrace in 335 BC. Persepolis was surrendered by its garrison commander without a fight to prevent any massacre by the invaders. However, after taking the terrace, Alexander turned loos his Greek and Macedonian soldiers on the lower city. For an entire day they murdered the men, carried off the women and plundered the houses.

According to historical accounts he removed 270 tons of gold-coins and 1200 tons of silver casts from Susa; and from Persepolis total of 5,500 tons of silver which carried away on 20,000 mules and 5,000 camels.

Jiroft Civilization Exceeds Mesopotamia in Artistic Works

2006-02-12T11:27:00.000-08:00

Tehran, 12 February 2006 (CHN) -- Archeological studies on the coals gathered during excavations in Jirof revealed that Iran’s stone art was more developed than that of Mesopotamia around 2800 BC. It also proved that the surface layer of this historical site is more than 4800 years old.
“A large number of coals were gathered during archeological excavations in Kenar Sandal historical site in Jiroft. According to the researches done on these coals in one of the biggest radiocarbon labs in the United Stated, the surface layer of Kenar Sandal historical site dates back to 2800 BC. Most of the discovered artifacts in this historical site must have belonged to this surface. The art used on these stones shows Iranian skills in stone art during the ancient times. We can not see such a delicacy in Sumerian civilization of Mesopotamia during this period,” said Yousof Majidzadeh, head of excavation team in Jiroft historical site.
Archeological excavations are being carried out in the basin of Halil Rud River in Jiroft with the attendance of 20 Iranian and foreign archeologists in order to discover some new relics and to prove Iran’s possession over stolen artifacts which have been taken out from the country by smugglers during illegal excavations. 12 pieces of these relics are now being kept in Barakat Gallery in London. The owner of this gallery denies that these relics belong to Jiroft’s historical site and refuses to give them back to Iran.
Halil Rud historical site, located near the city of Jiroft in Kerman Province, was one of the first places where civilization and urbanization were established. 120 historical sites have been discovered on the 400-kilometer basin of Halil Rud River so far. A Large number of stone, clay, bronze, tombs and architectural relics belonging to the third millennium BC were unearthed during the illegal excavations by smugglers and sold to museums and individuals abroad. Iran is trying to prove its possession over these ancient relics in order to bring them back to where they belong.