Archeologists are set to start the 9th season of excavations in the Bandian region near the town of Daregaz in the Khorasan province, head of the local excavation team said.

Dr. Mehdi Rahbar said in the new season, excavations are planned in a district believed to be residential, in order to gain insight into the architecture of the ancient people. The region is a remnant of Bahram V of the Sassanid dynasty.

Excavations underway from 1994 have so far rendered a remarkable fire temple, which comprises a 8.5x5.1 meter hall with beautiful plasterworks showing events of the time.

Tablets found indicate that ascension and removal of kings used to be announce in the hall, Rahbar noted.

He added the 9th season would last about two months, pointing out given the vast area of the site, it might take about 10-15 years to study the whole area, just 20 kms from the Turkmenistan-Iran border.