Explorations Go on in Hill in Northwestern Iran to Pinpoint Location of Civilization - CAIS Archaeological & Cultural Daily News of Iran©

A sixth season of archaeological explorations was conducted in the Galaychi hill in the northwestern province of West Azarbaijan. The project included conservation of architectural remains found earlier. Still there is no answer to the question about the exact whereabouts of the settlement of the mania civilizations. The two potential places are the Galaychi hill or the Hassanlu hill.

An expert with the project said the studies sought to find architectural remains of various archaeological periods in the hill. Bahman kargar noted derelict monuments were unearthed that were restored and preserved.

The monuments included adobe walls and exterior decorations of wall with geometrical, mythological, human and plant patterns.

Kargar remarked a number of glazed bricks were discovered too which are highly significant. The explorations in the Galaychi hill, dating to the 7th century B.C., are estimated to need 12 years to complete.

The Manais used to inhabit the area before being wiped out by the Urartu tribes. Experts say all their information about the Manai civilization in the Galaychi hill was speculative and more studies were needed to shed light on ambiguous points.

Kargar noted the two month exploration in the hill rendered nothing new which could contribute to the researchers’ understanding.

“A seventh season of explorations is planned in a couple of months, aimed at finding acceptable answers to this question,” he added.

Still, parallel explorations are underway in the neighbouring Hassanlu hill for similar purpose. The work on the Hassanlu is estimated to take some 20 years to complete.

Copyright © 1998-2009 The Circle of Ancient Iranian Studies (CAIS)