Ancient Carvings Discovered Near Isfahan

Archeologists have discovered ancient cliff carvings in the Meymeh and Shahin Shahr districts of Isfahan Province, estimated to be up to five millennia old, a senior official at Iran's Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization said.

Following reports about the existence of stone carvings in the districts, a team of archeologists were dispatched to investigate and they discovered carvings and other remnant of old civilizations.

According to Fereydoun Allahyari, the head of ICHHTO's provincial office, the carvings reveal that the area was a major trade link between ancient civilizations, Mehr News Agency reported.

“Primary assessments show that the [oldest] carvings date back to 5,000 years and up until the Islamic eras,” he added.

Allahyari said field investigations have also led to the discovery of an ancient hill and a mining site belonging to the Sassanid era.

"Some graves have also been unearthed, which belong to a village from the pre-Islamic period," he said.

"The dispersal of carvings across the area shows that there were trade routes in the central plateau stretching from Isfahan to Meymeh and further toward the north to Kashan, Qamsar and Golpayegan," he said, adding that there were commercial routes in central Iran even before the arrival of Aryans.

Alamdar Alian, the head of Archeology Department at ICHHTO's provincial office, said archeologists are trying to implement comprehensive studies to decode the engraved messages, following which ICHHTO will take measures to inscribe the discovered sites on National Heritage List.

Allahyari noted that images carved on stone bear great significance since they reveal many facts about the culture and civilization of ancient people.

Iran consists of several closed basins that are collectively referred to as the Central Plateau, covering many cities and areas, including Isfahan. The unique location of the area indicates it was a center of settlement in ancient times.