French and Italians to Return to Sivand

News Category: Achaemenian Dynasty

Postponement of the inundation of Sivand Dam has provided an opportunity for international archaeological teams, who has previously carried out excavations in Bolaghi Gorge, to come once again to Iran and restart another season of excavations on the site. French and Italian teams have so far applied for carrying out further excavations.

Archaeological excavations in Bolaghi Gorge have revealed the site’s historical significance to the Iranians and world community in general. 

Last week some of members of Iran’s Parliament Cultural Commission alongside authorities of the Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization of Iran and the authorities of the Ministry of Energy visited Bolaghi Gorge and its historical sites; during the visit, the importance of the site was explained to the members of the Cultural Commission of the parliament. This visit resulted in the postponement of the flooding of Sivand Dam for 6 months.

And that postponement has tempted the French and Italian archaeologists previously working on Bolaghi Gorge to reapply to return to the site.

Earlier this year, the French alongside the Iranian team excavated the King Road; based on these excavations, head of the French team, Rémy Boucharlat, concluded the site not to be an ancient road but irrigation channels.

A joint Iranian-Italian team also discovered 30 rural houses with a cemetery belonging to the Achaemenid dynastic era close to the dam.

“We are quiet ready to continue our excavations in the region, therefore it has been announced to domestic and foreign teams to deliver their proposals to Parse-Pasargadae Research Center,” says Talebian, head of Bolaghi Gorge Salvation Project and director of Parse-Pasargadae Research Center.

According to Talebian, most of the excavation groups are enthusiast to restart their work, and their requests will probably be approved.

Sivand Dam has been built in Bolaghi Gorge which is known to have been the location of the ancient Imperial Road and is one of the historical sites of the Pasargadae. With the flooding of the dam, 130 historical sites unearthed so far in Bolaghi Gorge would drown. With the cooperation of Sivand Dam authorities and Bolaghi Gorge salvation team, some joint teams from Iran and foreign countries have been busy with archaeological excavations in the site to save the main remains of Bolaghi Gorge before the dam starts working.