ISLAMABAD
The origin of the mummy recently discovered in
Pakistan's Baluchistan Province (near Iran
border) is still not clear, an archaeologist
says.
Sheikh
Khurshid Hassan, former director of
Archaeology Department, Karachi, after
comparing the mummy with different cultures of
ancient Iran, the era of Alexander the Great
and the history of Baluchistan Province of
Pakistan, said: "The origin of the mummy
is still shrouded in mystery." Pakistani
police had recently recovered the ancient
mummy, apparently from smugglers in
Baluchistan Province, who had said they had
found it in a ruined house in the historic
Kharan Valley.
Later,
the mummy was taken to Karachi and placed at
the National Museum. However after discovering
the mummy in October, the majority of experts
announced that it belongs to Iran.
The
Iranian Archaeological Department said that
the mummy was of an ancient Iranian princess.
The Pakistani archaeologist told the Pakistani
daily, "The News" that he thoroughly
studied the customs, symbols and scripts of
the eras of Ahura Mazda, Zoroaster,
Achaemenid, Sasanid, Darius the Great, ancient
Iran Persia, Ossuaries, Alexander the Great,
Cyrus, Naqsh-e Rostam, Cambyses, Median kings,
the tombs of Rachi and Gawaching and several
other historic legends and backgrounds.
"The engravings on the wooden box,
containing the mummy, depicting the figures of
Ahura Mazda and fire altars gave an indication
that the deceased was the follower of
Zoroaster," Sheikh said.
In
ancient Iran (Persia), two ruling dynasties,
the Achaemenians and the Sassanians, were
Zoroastrians. However, the archaeologist says:
"It cannot be said with certainty as to
whether or not the mummy belonged to
Achaemenians or the Sasanid era." He said
the golden plate affixed to the chest of the
mummy is in cuneiform script. "The well
known inscription of Darius the Great on the
rock of Behistan is in cuneiform script,"
Sheikh said. However, he added that the fire
altars are conspicuous by their absence on the
Achaemenian seals. Besides, he said that
originality of the wooden box, containing the
mummy is also doubtful as wood is a perishable
commodity and cannot survive for such a long
period (2,500 years.)
"According
to Grishman, Alexander the Great (by
Iranians known as accursed Eskandar) saw
the embalmed body of Cyrus placed on a golden
coach. But from Darius onward, all the tombs
of the Achaemenian sovereigns were cut in to
cliffs of Naqsh-e Rostam," he added.
He
says the Egyptian origin of the mummy is also
doubtful as it does not contain the mask,
which covers every Egyptian mummy.
"There
is a thinking amongst some scholars that the
origin of the mummy lies in Baluchistan. The
study of the two storied domed mausoleum at
Rachi and Gawaching in Kharan district reveals
that a peculiar type of burial system based on
Zoroastrian traditions was practised,"
the archaeologist said.
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