One More Year for Saving Sivand Historical Sites

Officials of the construction project of Sivand Dam have announced that archaeologists will still have one year to study and save the historical sites of Bolaghi Gorge from the time the dam is flooded.

Bolaghi Gorge is located 4 kilometers from the world heritage site of Pasargadae in Fars province and includes several historical sites and remains. Experts believe that it has also been the site of Persia’s key ancient road, called the King Road, which was constructed by order of Darius, the Achaemenid king.

According to an executive of Sivand project, Saiid Jame’ei, the dam will be flooded as planned in February 2006, however, since it will take one year for the lake behind the dam to be completely filled, archaeologists will still be able to continue with their studies there.

In the recent months, five joint teams of Iranian and foreign archaeologists including German, Italian, Polish, French, and Japanese experts have been working around the clock to identify and save the historical remains there. So far, architectural remains, objects, and ancient tombs dating to the fifth millennium BC up to the Islamic times have been discovered behind the Sivand Dam.

Urban developments around the world have made the construction of new dams indispensable, and when historical sites fall victim to these developmental projects, archaeologists have no choice but to carry on salvation projects to revive the historical heritage to be drowned. Aswan Dam of Egypt is one such example.