Prehistoric to Islamic site discovered in western Iran

Layers of the prehistoric period, the Copper and Stone Period, the Old, Middle and New Bronze Age (Yaniq and Godin III Culture), Iron III (Probably the Medes), the Parthian and different Islamic period were discovered in the salvation exploration on the Tappeh Anuj (Anuj Hill) in Malayer, Hamedan Province.

The Public Relations Office of the Research Institute of Cultural Heritage and Tourism (RICHT)  of Iran quoted Ismail Hemmati Azandaryani, head of the salvation operations on Tappeh Anuj in Malayer, as saying on Sunday that the ancient Anuj Hill (also known as Qala Bolandeh), with a height of 21 meters from the surface, is located in a village of the same name in the city of Malayer.

He pointed to the leveling and excavation of a significant part of the hill in the course of construction of residential houses and said currently, residential houses have surrounded the hill.

Construction of houses on the southern side has been conducted to the surface of the hill, while the site was registered in the list of National Monuments of Iran in 1353 (1974-1975), he added.

Hemmati went on to sayt that with regard to the fact that on the northern side of the hill some parts which had been separated from the main center of the hill had created dangers for the inhabitants of the Anuj Village, therefore, explorations in that area began with the aim of eliminating the probable danger of the remains.

He noted that in order to gain access to the maximum information in the most dangerous and inconvenient part, in the section for stratigraphy scaffolding was applied and then the field research was launched.

He said in the stratigraphy operations valuable results were achieved such as layers dating back to the prehistoric era, Copper and Stone period, the Old, Middle and the New Bronze Age (Yaniq culture and Godin III), iron III (probably Medes), the Parthian and different Islamic periods.

Hemmati stated that with regard to the location of Anuj area in the southern part of Hamedan Province and in the vicinity of the linking corridor towards Boroujerd and Silakhor plain, as well as the connection with the plain leading to the mountain ranges of Green (Nahavand and Kangavar) in view of the archeological studies the site is regarded as being very important.

Prehistoric to Islamic site discovered in western Iran

Sand Storm in Southern Iran Unearths Ancient City

A strong sand storm in Kerman province in southern Iran has led to the discovery of a lost ancient city full of historical relics.

The sand storm unearthed a large part of an ancient city in Negin-e Kavir County near the city of Fahraj in Kerman province.



Clay relics, bones, and brick walls have been discovered in the historical site. Further archeological investigations will be carried out to discover more about the city.

Sand Storm in Southern Iran Unearths Ancient City

Nasir ol Molk Mosque, Shiraz, Iran.

The Nasir-ol-Molk Mosque (Persian: مسجد نصیر الملک‎‎ Masjed-e Nasir-ol-Molk), also known as the Pink Mosque, is a traditional mosque in Shiraz, Iran. It is located at the district of Gowad-e-Arabān, near Shāh Chérāgh Mosque.

The mosque includes extensive colored glass in its facade, and displays other traditional elements such as the Panj Kāse ("five concaved") design. It is named in popular culture as the Pink Mosque, due to the usage of considerable pink color tiles for its interior design.

 

The mosque was built during the Qajar era, and is still in use under protection by Endowment Foundation of Nasir ol Molk. It was built from 1876 to 1888, by the order of Mirzā Hasan Ali (Nasir ol Molk), a Qajar ruler. The designers were Mohammad Hasan-e-Memār, an Iranian architect, and Mohammad Rezā Kāshi-Sāz-e-Širāzi.

Nasir ol Molk Mosque, Shiraz, Iran.

Pasargadae, Tomb of Cyrus the Great

The tomb of Cyrus the Great, founder of the Achaemenid Empire

The Tomb of Cyrus (Persian: آرامگاه کوروش بزرگ) is the monument of Cyrus the Great approximately 1 km southwest of the palaces of Pasargadae, According to Greek sources, it dates back to 559-29 B.C. The most extensive description based on a lost account by Aristobulus, who had accompanied Alexander the Great on his eastern campaign in the late 4th century B.C., is to be found in the Anabasis of Arrian (6.29). written in the 2nd century A.D

When Alexander looted and destroyed Persepolis, he paid a visit to the tomb of Cyrus. Arrian, writing in the second century of the common era, recorded that Alexander commanded Aristobulus, one of his warriors, to enter the monument. Inside he found a golden bed, a table set with drinking vessels, a gold coffin, some ornaments studded with precious stones and an inscription on the tomb. No trace of any such inscription survives, and there is considerable disagreement to the exact wording of the text. Strabo reports that it read:

Passer-by, I am Cyrus, who founded the Persian Empire, and was king of Asia.

Grudge me not therefore this monument.

Another variation, as documented in Persia: The Immortal Kingdom, is:

O man, whoever thou art, from wheresoever thou cometh, for I know you shall come, I am Cyrus, who founded the Persian Empire.

Grudge me not, therefore, this little earth that covers my body.

The design of Cyrus' tomb is credited to Mesopotamian or Elamite ziggurats, but the cella is usually attributed to Urartu tombs of an earlier period. In particular, the tomb at Pasargadae has almost exactly the same dimensions as the tomb of Alyattes II, father of the Lydian King Croesus; however, some have refused the claim (according to Herodotus, Croesus was spared by Cyrus during the conquest of Lydia, and became a member of Cyrus' court). The main decoration on the tomb is a rosette design over the door within the gable. In general, the art and architecture found at Pasargadae exemplified the Persian synthesis of various traditions, drawing on precedents from Elam, Babylon, Assyria, and ancient Egypt, with the addition of some Anatolian influences.

Tomb of Cyrus the great from Achaemenid Empire located in Pasargadae, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Fars Province, Iran.

According to the records by the ancient Greek historian, Aristobulus: "The tomb - in the lower parts was built of stones cut square and was rectangular in form. Above, there was a stone chamber with a roof and a door leading into it so narrow that it was hard and caused much distress for a single man of low stature to get through. In the chamber lay a golden sarcophagus, in which Cyrus' body had been buried; a couch stood by its side with leel of wrought gold; a Babylonian tapestry served as a cover and purple rugs as a carpet. There was placed on it a sleeved mantle and other garments of Babylonian workmanship . . . Median trousers and robes dyed blue lay there: some dark, some of other varying shades, with necklaces, scimitars, and earrings of stones set in gold, and a table stood there. It was between the table and the couch that the sarcophagus containing Cyrus' body was placed. Within the enclosure and by the ascent to the tomb itself there was a small building put up for the Magians who used to guard Cyrus’ tomb.”

The Mausoleum is said to be the oldest base-isolated structure in the world, meaning it is resilient to seismic hazards.

Pasargadae, Tomb of Cyrus the Great