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CAIS ARCHAEOLOGICAL & CULTURAL NEWS© ARCHAEOLOGICAL & CULTURAL NEWS OF THE IRANIAN WORLD |
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Farmers have Destroyed 3000-Year-Old Kilns in Gohar Tappeh
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14 October 2006 |
LONDON, (CAIS) -- Despite previous warnings by the Cultural Heritage and Tourism Department of Mazandaran province about dangers threatening the historical site of Gohar Tappeh, continuation of agricultural activities in the vicinity of this historical site resulted in destruction of a number of clay kilns belonging to 3000 years ago, some of which still hold remains of intact earthenware objects.
Recently some parts of Gohar Tappeh, known as its industrial section, went under ploughing without prior informing of the archeology team which is currently on the site studying this ancient hill. Unfortunately, this led into destruction of some clay kilns in this historical site,” said Ali Mahforouzi, head of archeology team in Gohar Tappeh.
Archeologists in the historic site of Gohar Tappeh had previously unearthed a large number of forges and ironstones in the industrial section of Gohar Tappeh during their fifth season of excavations.
“Apparently, some 200 square meters of Gohar Tappeh’s industrial section have been ploughed by farmers. Yet excavations in this area led into unearthing the remains of some of these kilns and dozens of intact clay vessels,” explained Mahforouzi.
According to Mahforouzi, the Cultural Heritage and Tourism Department of Mazandaran has been trying for over a year to put an end to agricultural activities in the vicinity of Gohar Tappeh, but it apparently could not stop the farmers from ploughing the lands.
Protecting the historic site of Gohar Tappeh, located in a 50-hectare-area in the midst of farming lands, against agricultural activities is not an easy task. Experts believe that the only way to save this ancient site is to buy the agricultural lands surrounding the area. However, no budget has yet been considered for this purpose.
Mahforouzi emphasized that the trend of destruction continues as long as the lands have not been bought from their owners.
Prior to this, archeologists succeeded in discovering the second jar burial in Gohar Tappeh which was partly destroyed as a result of tilling activities in the area.
Gohar
Tappeh is located in the east side of Mazandaran province between the cities of
Neka and Behshahr, northern 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 Tappeh once
enjoyed a complicated urbanization with a history that goes back to some 5000
years ago. Based on stratigraphical studies done over the past few decades on
the site, the existence of Gohar Tappeh dates back to the middle Bronze Age and
continued to the Iron Age.
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Extracted From/Source: Cultural Heritage News Agency (CHN) Please
note
the above-news is NOT a "copy & paste" version from
the mentioned-source. The news/article above has been modified with
the following interventions by CAIS: Spelling corrections;
-Rectification and correction of the historical facts and data; -
Providing additional historical information within the text; -Removing any
unnecessary, irrelevant & repetitive information. All these measures have been taken in order to ensure that the published news provided by CAIS is coherent, accurate and suitable for academics and cultural enthusiasts who visit the CAIS website.
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"History is the Light on the Path to Future" |
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Encyclopaedia Iranica
The British Institute of Persian Studies "Persepolis Reconstructed"
The British Museum
The Royal Asiatic Society
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