Kashan Museum to Display Ancient Relics

Following the discovery of age-old relics and remains in Estark and Jushqan villages, officials decided to exhibit them at the National Museum located in Kashan's Fin Garden in Isfahan Province.

Jars, bowls, shells, agate beads, cups, a lid with a geometrical gravure, large clay trays and bowls are among the discovered objects.

Speaking to IRNA, Hamidreza Momenian, Kashan's governor general, said villages have undergone archeological research and excavation since 2014, when signs of ancient civilization were found during a police raid against illegal excavators in the area.

Estark Village in Isfahan Province and Jushqan Village in Markazi Province are historically valuable sites where traces of Iron Age civilization (between 1200 BC and 600 BC) have been discovered.

Several cemeteries, bones and ancient objects were discovered during the first phase of archeological research in December 2016, led by Arkadiusz Soltysiak, professor of human physiology from the University of Warsaw, and two Iranian archeologists.

"Bones and remains of 18 adult and six children have so far been discovered in a cemetery. According to the evidence, before burial, the corpses had been burnt during a mysterious ritual," said Mohsen Javeri, the head of the regional office of Iran's Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization.

Elaborating on the discoveries, the official said the graves are rectangular with curved angles, with pieces of stone and clay on its floor.

"The graves have no roof, suggesting that each had been used several times for a number of dead people for over 200 years," he said.

Javeri emphasized the historical importance of the excavations and called on heritage authorities to provide the fund for the second phase of the research.

"A total of 400 million rials ($10,000) have been allocated to the excavation project so far," he said.