TEHRAN - Archaeologists conducting the first phase of excavation and documentation at an underground hand-carved complex in Aligudarz, western Iran, have uncovered four rooms and six corridors, with evidence indicating the site was used during the late Sasanian period and the medieval Islamic era, officials said.

Ata Hassanpour, head of the excavation team and director-general of Lorestan province’s Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts Department, said the first phase of excavation and documentation had been completed at the underground complex, also known as a Dastkand.

A Dastkand, or hand-carved structure, is a type of architecture created by excavating and shaping natural geological formations. The term means "dug by hand" in Persian and refers to structures carved directly into the earth.

Hassanpour said the site was first surveyed in 1993 by archaeologist Nasser Nourzadeh Chegini, who documented parts of the complex and photographed sections that had been described as a mass burial area. Chegini identified the site as a burial monument.

He said additional administrative procedures for the site's survey, identification and registration were carried out in 2003.

According to Hassanpour, ownership of the site was transferred to Lorestan's cultural heritage department in 2013. He said the complex subsequently suffered damage from illegal excavations and unauthorized digging.

Funding for archaeological investigations was allocated during a visit by Iran's minister of cultural heritage to Lorestan province in 2025, Hassanpour said. Financial support was later finalized following efforts by Aligudarz's representative in parliament.

Excavation work officially began on March 30, 2026, and concluded last week after an extension of the excavation permit, he added.

To access the main sections of the complex, archaeologists opened several test trenches to locate the original entrance. Once access routes were identified, documentation and clearance work began, revealing extensive damage caused by illegal excavations.

Hassanpour said the excavation reached a depth of about 7.5 meters below the current ground surface.

The project was carried out in two phases, excavation and documentation. Archaeologists have so far exposed four rooms, fully documented the main corridor and identified five additional corridors within the complex, he said.

Among the most significant discoveries were pottery fragments dating to the late Sasanian period and the medieval Islamic era, suggesting the site was in use during those periods.

The function of the complex remains under investigation, Hassanpour said. Preliminary evidence raises the possibility that parts of the site were used for burials or as a mass grave, although the exact function of all rooms has not yet been determined.

He said the presence of large storage jars could indicate that at least part of the complex served a residential purpose.

Large sections of the underground complex remain unexplored, and further excavation will require additional funding, Hassanpour added.

AM