|
.
|
CAIS
ARCHAEOLOGICAL
& CULTURAL NEWS©
13
September 2005
 The
history of Tepe Mil coincides with mythological
Rey city which is a remnant of the Assyrian rule.
The historical site of Tepe mil, 72-hectare vast,
and several satellite hills hiding lots of secrets
from the Parthian era to the time of flourishing
of Islamic Art, are in danger of destruction due
to lack of facilities and preservation.
A building has been discovered in the excavations
in Tepe Mil, which is one of the most important
hills of the historical site located 11 kilometers
South East of Tehran. Archaeologists have not yet
reached an agreement on the identity of the hill,
whether it was a Fire Temple or a Royal Castle.
The destruction of the monument, which the experts
believe, based on historical evidence there, can
be compared to Acropolis in Greece, has become the
main concern of archeologists.
Six years ago the site was covered with a
temporary ceiling to help preserve it against rain
and wind, which has been broken during the years
and nobody is taking any action to prevent the
destruction of this historical site.
The site was covered with this temporary ceiling
after the last excavations in the site which go
back to 1999. The project for preservation and
excavation of the site was supposed to be
completed by support from the German government,
but no contracts have been signed yet between the
two countries in this respect.
According to Firoozeh Sheibani, head of the
research team of Tepe Mil, no budget has been
considered for preservation of the site yet.
Because of rain and the changes of weather, the
collapse of the iron pillars of the temporary roof
has inflicted serious damages on the site.
Tepe Mil is not only important for its cultural,
historical, and archeological characteristics, but
according to what experts and archeologists
believe, it is an area in which evidence of
transition from the Parthian to the Sassanid era,
and pre- Islamic to Islamic periods can be found.
The geological conditions of the area from the
forth geological period have made this area an
appropriate settlement choice. Therefore,
archaeologists try to study it in order to find
out some historical secrets and answer questions
about the process of life from the Paleolithic
period to the present time.
In addition to the damages of the main building,
the last plaster works of Sassanid era, which in
are as important as those of Sassanid Castles in
Chal Tarkhan, Nezam Abad, and the mighty Castle of
Kish in Mesopotamia, are in danger under the
broken preservative ceiling of the site. While
according to Sheibani, these plaster works
belonging to the Sassanid era, can be an important
evidence for the historical art researchers.
Sheibani says, “Although the main part of the
plaster has been plundered during the first
excavation which had been done by Pezar, a French
archaeologist working in Iran during the last
years of Qajar era, but there are still invaluable
evidence which can be a guide to discover a lot of
secrets.”
The site was dug for the first time in 1909 was by
the French archaeologist, Pezar. Due to the
incorrect and careless method of excavations
serious damages were caused to the historical
layers of Tepe Mil. Then the site was neglected
for 43 years until 1950s when Ali Hakemi, an
archeologist, started some excavations there.
After that, the historical site of Tepe Mil was
abandoned again until 1999 when a team headed by
Firouzeh Sheibani started some new excavations
there, which led to the discovery of some unknown
architectural structure of the site, transforming
it into a unique heritage. The space consisted of
a central opened yard with porticos around.
Most probably this historical site has been called
Tepe Mil (hill of pillars) because of the two high
pillars remaining from the old building.
“Since the historical evidence gained from the
recent excavations indicate that the hill is
comparable to Acropolis hill in Greece, we can
attract a lot of tourists there,” says Mehdi
Memarzadeh, head of the Restoration Center of
Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization of
Tehran province.
According to Memarzadeh, during the first
excavations in 1909, 7 meters of the building and
the east pillars on which some molding animals and
humans were designed, and some parts of the
surrounding cells were unearthed. Considering the
evidences, it is believed that the building was a
worship place for Zoroastrians, but until ashes
are not found, the belief can not be confirmed.
The diameter of the pillars is 2 meters and two
porticoes are found around it. A panel which is
decorated with a broken cross, belonging to the
Sassanid era, has also been found near the
building.
Despite all the significance experts attribute to
the site, the Acropolis of Iran is not receiving
the proper treatment it deserves.
Top
of Page
|
|
