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LONDON, (CAIS) -- For the first time, traces of lime graves have been discovered in Jiroft, Kerman province, during archaeological activities in the region.

“A unique grave was discovered during the fifth season of archaeological excavations in Jiroft. The discovery came while Jiroft’s Regional Water Organization was digging a water canal next to a small fortress. Discovery of this grave which had already been looted in the ancient times resulted in identifying a unique and small cemetery. What makes this cemetery different compared to the other ones which have been discovered so far is the unique burial method implemented in it, so that the corpses were buried under a hard layer of lime. The burial gifts inside the graves indicate that the cemetery must have belonged to people from the higher stratum of the society,” said Nader Soleimani, archaeologist from the Cultural Heritage and Tourism Department of Kerman province during the Art and Archaeology Symposium which was held by Iran’s Academy of Art, supported by Iran’s Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization.

According to Soleimani, the graves are like cubby-holes having entranced and a number of stairs on the southern part. The corpses were buried in the eastern parts of the graves, except for one case which has a different architectural style.

“Having symmetrical columns, this grave enjoyed a unique architectural style. Evidence shows that the cemetery was plundered in the ancient times; and only some clay bowls have been remained in this cemetery. Existence of animal bones in these bowls shows that the people of the region believed in life after death,” added Soleimani.

Regarding the styles used in making the earthenware discovered in Konar Sandal hill, Sedigheh Piran, expert of Iran’s National Museum explains: “Architectural and archaeological evidence bring into light the existence of a unique culture which developed in the course of the history in northern and southern parts of Konar Sandal prehistoric site. The hill is surrounded by small satellite hills which point to continual constructions in the region. Based on architectural evidence, the architectural structures of south Konar Sandal can be divided into two groups: memorial and residential buildings. The majority of the clay vessels which were discovered intact belong to the residential area and enjoy more diversity compared to those unearthed in the memorial buildings.”

The city of Jiroft in Kerman province is situated close to Halil Rud historical site on the basin of Halil Rud River. Historical evidence indicates that Jiroft enjoyed a rich civilization some 5000 years ago. Historic evidence collected from Jiroft suggests that Jiroft’s civilization is more ancient than that of Mesopotamia which is commonly believed to have been home to the most ancient civilization of the world. 

Since 2002, five excavation seasons have been carried out at the Jiroft site under the supervision of Yousof Majidzadeh which led into discovery of a ziggurat made of more than four million mud bricks dating back to about 2200 BCE.       

The first Art and Archaeology Research Symposium was organized by Iran’s Academy of Art with cooperation of Iran’s Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization, during which the archaeological achievements in Jiroft historical site were reviewed by experts. This symposium was attended by Yousof Majidzadeh, head of the excavation team in Jiroft, Nader Soleimani, archaeologist, and Sedigheh Piran, expert of Iran’s National Museum who delivered lectures in this gathering

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