ICHTO Director: Reliance on Foreigner archaeologists Should Reduce

News Category: Cultural

Vice-President and the director of Iran's Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization (ICHTO) Esfandiar Rahim-Moshaie said on Tuesday that good capacities have been developed in the field of archaeology and urged the need to reduce the country's reliance upon foreigners by making full use of such capacities.

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the inaugural ceremony of the 3rd International Symposium of Archaeology (November 8-11) held at Fakhreddin As'ad Gorgani Hall in the northern city of Gorgan, he added that international cooperation in the sector is inevitable.

He noted that archaeological excavations should be conducted within a broader scope rather than being limited to the domestic scene.

The vice-president said that the main purpose of archaeological excavations is to bring about unity and added that scientific discoveries in any land do not merely belong to its people.

Turning to the capacity of national universities in the field, he noted that the administration of the sector is highly important for the fruition of archaeological potentials.

Moshaie stressed that there should be close cooperation between the universities and the country's administrative body in the domain.

The 3rd International Symposium of Archaeology places special focus on the cultural issues related to the north and northeastern regions of the country including Golestan, Mazandaran, Gilan and Semnan provinces.

On the sidelines of the conference, an exhibition on the historical relics of Iran's northern and northeastern provinces and an archaeological book fair are underway and open to the public.

The First International Symposium of Archaeology in 2001 focused on Iran's southeastern region and the second one held in Orumiyeh, West Azarbaijan province, in 2004 dealt with the northwestern parts of the country.