“The bases are from three of the four columns, which were located at the main gate of the palace. Archaeologists have not yet found the fourth one,” Ali-Akbar Sarfaraz added.

“The bases were made using the same black and white stones which were used in the main hall of the palace, but artistically they are very similar to the bases of Pasargadae.

“It is no exaggeration to say that the bases are unique and unparalleled in the art of masonry. They have been so finely crafted that you think of lathe workshops or plasterworks,” Sarfaraz said.

The skill and sense of aesthetics used to make the bases has surprised experts, making them wonder what artists with what tools cut the stones in such a way that has never been seen, even in Persepolis, the main capital of the Achaemenids, he added.

“All the experts working on the project, including Italian archaeologist Professor Peter Francesco Carrieri, have been astonished by the precision and attention to detail used in cutting the bases,” Sarfaraz said.

According to Sarfaraz, the ground near the gate of the palace had been covered with a glaze of silica, and Carrieri believes this technique is unique to the site.