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.CAIS NEWS© ARCHAEOLOGICAL & CULTURAL NEWS OF THE IRANIAN WORLD |
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45,000 Years of History Razed Down at Kaftarkhun
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16 February 2007 |
LONDON,
(CAIS) -- Operations to build a horserace-track in the prehistoric site of
Kaftārkhūn resulted in complete destruction of large areas of this ancient
site, located 4 kilometres west of the Fin Garden, close to the city of Kashan,
Esfahan province. On the other hand, the eastern parts of this 45,000 year old
Palaeolithic site have seen irrecoverable damage due to blasting operations to
extract stone from a nearby quarry.
Association
of Cultural Heritage Supporters of Kashan has repeatedly voiced its concern over
the negative outcomes of the use of explosives to extract stone in the area and
the consequent strong vibrations caused by the operations. The Association has
warned that continuation of blasting operations in the area could eventually
lead into destruction of Soleimaniyeh Spring which has over 7,000 years of
antiquity. Furthermore, it is likely that vibrations caused during the process
would leave severe negative impacts on the historic Fin Garden that is located 4
kilometres away.
The
prehistoric site of Kaftarkhun was first studied by archaeologists in 2002
during which a number of stone instruments were found which point to a
hunter-gatherer culture that was once predominant in the area.
Despite
its historic importance, the Iranian Cultural Heritage Organisation has not
registered Kaftarkhun as a national heritage, which is why the permission to
start the operation was obtained from the Islamic Republic Ministry of
Industries and Mines without consulting with the Iranian cultural heritage
authorities.
Dated
to the Palaeolithic Epoch, the area has been named Kaftarkhun (Kaftār meaning
hyena) due to existence of rare species of hyena which live in the nearby
mountains.
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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, transparent, 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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