Ancient Civilizations

New round of restoration begins on Semnan’s Shah Abbasi caravanserai

A new round of restoration work has been commenced on the Safavid era (1501-1736) Shah Abbasi caravanserai in the north-central province of Semnan, the provincial tourism chief has announced. The project involves replacing worn-out materials, cleaning the brick walls, and removing the layers of paint and grease from the stone and brick surfaces as well as […]

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Centuries-old shipwreck found off Caspian Sea coast

Ancient Persia, Ancient Shipwrecks / Sean Ra

A centuries-old shipwreck has recently been discovered off Iran’s coast in the Caspian Sea. “The remnants of a ship, which based on initial estimations date back to a time between the late Safavid era and early Qajar era, has been discovered off the coast of the Caspian Sea in Gilan province,” the deputy provincial tourism

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Persepolis excavation yields glazed bricks bearing bull and dragon motifs

Ancient Relics, Ancient Persia / Sean Ra

A team of Iranian and Italian archaeologists has recently unearthed some glazed bricks, which bear bull and dragon motifs. The discovery was made near the ruins of a majestic gateway, which is situated adjacent to the UNESCO-registered Persepolis in southern Iran. The glazed bricks bear motifs of bulls and mushhushshu-dragons, the latter is a mythical

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Animal, human figurines unearthed in Burnt city

Ancient Relics, Ancient Persia, Ancient Sites / Sean Ra

A team of Iranian, Italian, and Serbian archaeologists has unearthed arrays of animal and human figurines from the UNESCO-registered Burnt City in southwest Iran. “Like previous [archaeological] seasons, we have unearthed a significant number of figurines,” ILNA quoted Iranian archaeologist Hossein Moradi as saying on Thursday. Called “Shahr-e Sukhteh” in Persian, Burnt City is associated

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man in black jacket and pants standing beside man statue

Ilkhanid-era mosque in Masouleh being restored to former glory

Ancient Churches, Ancient Mosques, Ancient Persia / Sean Ra

A restoration project has been commenced on the Ilkhanid era (1256 to 1335) Qanbarabad Mosque in Masouleh, a historical village in northern Iran, a local tourism official has announced. Due to the fact that Qanbarabad mosque is one of the oldest monuments in the area, the restoration is being carried out under the supervision of

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Elamite clay tablet unearthed in mysterious Burnt City

Ancient inscription, Ancient Persia / Sean Ra

A team of Iranian, Italian, and Serbian archeologists has unearthed an Elamite clay tablet inside the Burnt City, a rare discovery that gives subtle clues about the interaction between the eastern and western sides of the Iranian plateau during prehistorical times. The discovery of such [clay] tablets is not bizarre in the western regions of

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Walkway to connect Cyrus the Great’s tomb to nearby caravanserai

Ancient Sites, Ancient Persia / Sean Ra

Visitors to the UNESCO-registered Pasargadae will soon find a special walkway that connects the tomb of Cyrus the Great to a nearby caravanserai, the director of the World Heritage site has said. “At this stage, a path with a width of approximately two and a half meters will be constructed from the entrance of

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UNESCO-designated Persepolis launches UAV documentation

Ancient Sites, Ancient Persia / Sean Ra

Authorities of Persepolis have launched an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) documentation project to help study and analyze the neighboring lands and properties, which encircle the UNESCO World Heritage site in southern Iran. “A documentation project has been commenced on the closest boundaries of Persepolis to gather needed information to monitor possible changes and interventions in

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Discover Iran’s ‘oldest’ bas-relief carvings in Kermanshah

Ancient Sites, Ancient Persia / Sean Ra

Iran is somehow an open-air museum of ancient and prehistoric heritage, which testify to the colorful past of the nation yet many of them are nearly lost in time. Among those, Anubanini bas-reliefs are widely believed to be the oldest rock reliefs in the country. They are four reliefs that are associated with the

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Underground city added to national heritage list

Ancient Persia, Ancient Underground / Sean Ra

The underground city of Sefidshahr, along with six other properties across Isfahan province, has recently been inscribed on the national heritage list. The Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism, and Handicrafts announced the inscriptions on Saturday in separate letters to the governor-general of the central province, CHTN reported. Khajeh Naein, Tehranchi, and Prvaresh mansions as well

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