Mohammadreza Baqerian said that archaeologists working on the gas pipeline of the National Iranian Gas Company (NIGC) in the regions of Barrehsar, Jirandeh and Deylaman found the two cemeteries in the villages of Khaskul and Chareh.

“Out of the nine graves disclosed, six belonged to children under the age of fifteen. The children were buried in a squatting position along with several burial gifts. The cause of death is not certain yet,” he said, adding that, “Most of the graves at the Chareh Cemetery were bearing the corpses of the youth aged 20 to 30.”

Both cemeteries date back to the Achaemenid era, but the burial gifts inside the graves were different. “The gifts found inside the graves of the Chareh Cemetery were warfare tools such as swords and daggers, while in the Khaskul Cemetery only shards were found.”

The expert believes that illegal excavations in the region have ruined several graves, causing difficulties for the archaeologists in their excavations.

The National Iranian Gas Company is to continue work at the site under the supervision of officials of the Cultural Heritage and Tourism Provincial Department in order to avoid any additional damage.

Gilan contains many Iron Age sites and recently the first Neolithic site was found in the province as well.