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Archaeologists
have begun a third season of excavation in a defensive
wall built around the city of Gorgan, the capital of the
northern province of Golestan. Dubbed red snake, the wall
runs 200 km around the city.
Last year, remains of a structure were discovered where
the wall meets the Gorgan Rud river and the new studies
are aimed in part to shed light on them, head of the archaeological team said.
Jebreil Nokandeh said the wall was crucial in terms of
defensive capabilities, having been built in the reign of
the Sasanians at the same time that the great wall in
china was erected. “The red snake was designed to
prevent the invasion by the northern tribes,” he added.
Some 22 archaeological experts with botanical, mapping and
zoological orientations are involved in the current
excavations season.
Over the previous study seasons, archaeologists have
managed to find defensive barriers, bridges and 33 castles
along the wall.
The wall is made of red bricks 20x20x10 cm in size. The
width of the wall is 10 meters in plains and 2.5 meters in
mountains.
Given its red bricks and length which spirals through
plains and mountains, the local people tend to call the
wall " the red snake".
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