Head of Shahr-e Soukhteh International Research Center Ali-Reza
Khosravi here Thursday announced that the center and Zabol Cultural
Heritage and Tourism Department support the research projects of domestic
and foreign researcher on the area.
He told IRNA that the research center has recently taken extensive
measures to expand its scope of communication with domestic and foreign
research centers.
"The institution mainly aims at encouraging the world research
centers to conduct research on the cultural heritage of Sistan area, in
articular Shahr-e Soukhteh, and introducing its ancient civilization to
the world.
"Both domestic and foreign researchers are invited to present
their research on Shahr-e Soukhteh and the surrounding hills as well as
the anthropology, archaeology and botany of the area as well as the other
related issues," added Khosravi.
Turning to the assessment, identification and documentation of the
archaic hills and sites surrounding Shar-e Soukhteh launched by the
research center a while ago, he said, "500-700 hills are being
identified now."
Dating back to 5,000 years ago -- 3,200 BC -- with an area measuring 150
hectares, the city of Shahr-e Soukhteh is situated 55 kms from Zabol
across Zabol-Zahedan route.
The ancient city is comprised of five residential areas to the east,
memorial buildings, a central industrial section and a cemetery.
The city's cemetery alone measures 25 hectares and is supposed to
contain about 40,000 tombs, according to experts.
Eight excavation seasons have already been recorded in the ancient city
of Shahr-e Soukhteh, which have all been conducted by an rchaeological
team headed by Iranian archaeologist, Seyed Mansour Seyed-Sajjadi.
Shahr-e Soukhteh is located 205 kms to the northeast of the provincial
capital of Zahedan.
