“The
discoveries will definitely provide us with useful
information on the people living in the villages
over the millennia,” added Khosravi, who is the
director of the regional research center of the
Burnt City in Sistan-Baluchestan Province.
The
mounds are located near Iran’s border with
Afghanistan, southeast of the Burnt City, which is
located 57 kilometers from the city of Zabol.
“Documents
compiled by experts have been submitted to
cultural officials for registration of the tepes
on the National Cultural Heritage List,”
Khosravi said.
The
Burnt City covers an area of 150 hectares and was
one of the world’s largest cities at the dawn of
the urban era. It was built circa 3200 BC and
destroyed some time around 2100 BC. The city had
four stages of civilization and was burnt down
three times. Since it was not rebuilt after the
last time it was burnt down, it has been named the
Burnt City.
The
city-state had absorbed many people into the
region over the centuries.
Archaeologists
have identified about 500 mounds, which they
believe are villages which were established around
the Burnt City. They plan to add the mounds to the
archaeological map of the Burnt City.
Although
many studies have been carried out on the Burnt
City, so far experts have not been able to
determine the ethnicity and language of the
city’s inhabitants.
