Archaeology

Total:114

  • Iran, Italy to cooperate on restoring ancient gateway near Persepolis for site museum Yesterday 17:41

    Iran, Italy to cooperate on restoring ancient gateway near Persepolis for site museum

    TEHRAN - Cultural heritage authorities are moving ahead with plans to convert the ancient Tall-e Ajori archaeological site near Persepolis into a site museum, following the completion of archaeological excavations and the launch of a restoration project in cooperation with Italian experts.

  • Kermanshah among West Asia’s oldest human settlement areas, researcher says 2026-07-28 17:00

    Kermanshah among West Asia’s oldest human settlement areas, researcher says

    TEHRAN – Kermanshah is one of the oldest known areas of human settlement in the Iranian Plateau and West Asia, with archaeological evidence indicating human presence dating back as far as one million years, Iranian researcher and historian Mohsen Derekeh said on Monday.

  • 7,500-year-old Tepe Sialk undergoes restoration work 2026-07-26 17:12

    7,500-year-old Tepe Sialk undergoes restoration work

    TEHRAN – Iranian authorities have launched the second phase of restoration work at the Tepe Sialk archaeological site in Kashan following the completion of improvements to the site's entrance, a provincial cultural heritage official said on Sunday.

  • Alamut Castle inscribed as Iran’s 30th UNESCO World Heritage site 2026-07-26 14:12

    UNESCO grants World Heritage status to Iran’s Alamut Castle and Related Fortifications

    TEHRAN – Iran’s “Alamut Castle and Related Fortifications” has been inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List, becoming the country’s 30th tangible cultural heritage property to receive the prestigious international designation.

  • Ancient Espi Mazget up for restoration, tourism development by private sector 2026-07-25 17:21

    Ancient Espi Mazget up for restoration, tourism development by private sector

    TEHRAN - Authorities in Iran's northern Gilan province plan to protect, restore and develop the historic Espi Mazget monument for tourism through a partnership with a private investor, a senior provincial official said during a visit to the site on Saturday.

  • Floor coverings in Iran: From Neolithic mats to Safavid silk carpets 2026-07-22 16:22

    Floor coverings in Iran: From Neolithic mats to Safavid silk carpets

    TEHRAN – During the Neolithic period, the inhabitants of Iranian plateau used reed mats as floor coverings in their shelters and also wrapped the deceased in them for burial. Thousands of years later, during the Safavid era, the use of silk brocade carpets woven by the artisans of Tabriz became widespread.

  • Relief from the Apadana (Hall of One Hundred Columns) photographed by Luigi Pesce, an Italian military officer and photographer who traveled to Iran in 1848, during the reign of Naser al-Din Shah Qajar, to train Iranian infantry units. 2026-07-20 17:15

    Oldest known photographs reveal how Persepolis has changed over time

    TEHRAN - The oldest known photographs of Persepolis, the ceremonial capital of the Achaemenid Empire and now a UNESCO World Heritage site, provide a rare visual record of the monument before modern archaeological excavations reshaped its appearance.

  • Ancient Alamut 2026-07-19 18:59

    Ancient Alamut fortifications complete Iran’s architectural and defensive history, expert says

    TEHRAN - The proposed UNESCO World Heritage nomination of the Cultural Landscape of Alamut and its related fortifications would complete the historical narrative of Iran’s architectural and defensive heritage, Iranian cultural heritage veteran Seyyed Mohammad Beheshti said on Sunday.

  • Prominent Iranian archaeologist Ismail Yaghmaei passes away at 84 2026-07-19 18:48

    Prominent Iranian archaeologist Ismail Yaghmaei passes away at 84

    TEHRAN – Ismail Yaghmaei (also known as Ehsan Yaghmaei), one of Iran’s renowned archaeologists and a veteran of the country’s cultural heritage, passed away on Sunday morning, at Pars Hospital in Tehran. He was 84.

  • Prehistoric Sites of the Khorramabad Valley and Iran’s deep past on UNESCO World Heritage List 2026-07-14 16:43

    By Sonia Shidrang, Assistant Professor at Shahid Beheshti University

    Prehistoric Sites of the Khorramabad Valley and Iran’s deep past on UNESCO World Heritage List

    This week marks the first anniversary of a milestone that reshaped how the world sees Iran’s ancient past. On July 11, 2025, during the 47th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee in Paris, the Paleolithic Sites of the Khorramabad Valley were inscribed on the World Heritage List—Iran’s 29th such site, and its first ever dedicated to the Paleolithic period.

  • Historical mihrab discovered at Pasargadae World Heritage site 2026-07-12 17:03

    Historical mihrab discovered at Pasargadae World Heritage site

    TEHRAN - A historical mihrab has been discovered during restoration and conservation work at a caravanserai within the UNESCO-listed Pasargadae archaeological site in southern Iran.

  • Iranology research institute to be established in Fars province 2026-07-11 17:25

    Iranology research institute to be established in Fars province

    TEHRAN - The Fars provincial department of cultural heritage, tourism and handicrafts and Shiraz University of Art signed a cooperation agreement on Saturday to establish a self-funded Iranology research institute in the southern province of Fars, officials said.

  • Persepolis through the eyes of Iran’s martyred leader 2026-07-03 18:29

    Persepolis through the eyes of Iran’s martyred leader

    TEHRAN – As Iran prepares to bid farewell to its martyred leader, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, one of the defining moments reflecting his vision of the country’s cultural identity has once again come into focus: his historic visit to the UNESCO-listed Persepolis in 1988, where he described the ancient site as a “valuable treasure” that must be safeguarded for future generations.

  • Shushtar’s World Heritage value lies in its engineering system, not individual structures: official 2026-06-30 21:05

    Shushtar’s World Heritage value lies in its engineering system, not individual structures: official

    TEHRAN – The outstanding universal value of Iran’s UNESCO-listed Shushtar Historical Hydraulic System lies in the engineering knowledge and integrated water management system behind its construction rather than its individual bridges, dams or mills, the head of the World Heritage site said as the country marked the 17th anniversary of its inscription.

  • An Archaemenian clay tablet written in the Elamite scripts is shown at Iran's National Museum in Tehran, May 1, 2004. (Behrouz Mahri, AFP) 2026-06-28 18:03

    French archaeologist cracks 4,000-year-old Elamite script from Iran

    TEHRAN – French archaeologist François Desset has decoded the 4,000-year-old Linear Elamite writing system from ancient Iran, unlocking one of the last undeciphered scripts of the ancient Near East after years of research.

  • Archaeologists say excavations at Kalgeh Zarrin could deepen understanding of Elymaean kingdom 2026-06-27 17:55

    Archaeologists say excavations at Kalgeh Zarrin could deepen understanding of Elymaean kingdom

    TEHRAN – Archaeologists leading excavations at the ancient site of Kalgeh Zarrin near the southwestern Iranian city of Masjed Soleyman said continued scientific research, stronger protection measures and investment in cultural tourism could help reveal new information about the ancient Elymaean kingdom while contributing to local economic development.

  • Genetic tests underway on remains found in Ilkhanid royal cemetery 2026-06-26 17:35

    Genetic tests underway on remains found in Ilkhanid royal cemetery

    TEHRAN - Iranian archaeologists have begun genetic analysis of human remains uncovered in newly excavated Ilkhanid-era royal tombs near the UNESCO-listed Dome of Soltaniyeh in northwestern Iran, as researchers seek to identify members of the ruling dynasty buried at the site, officials said.

  • Ancient DNA reveals Zagros foothills as Bronze Age crossroads of peoples and cultures 2026-06-20 17:31

    Ancient DNA reveals Zagros foothills as Bronze Age crossroads of peoples and cultures

    TEHRAN - The Zagros mountain range and its foothills have long served as a crossroads for the movement of peoples, cultures, and languages. A question that has occupied scholars for decades is whether these cultural influences and population movements were accompanied by significant genetic changes. New research published in Genome Biology, which analyzed the ancient DNA of 17 individuals from the archaeological site of Bakr Awa in Iraqi Kurdistan, located in the western foothills of the Zagros, offers important insights into this question.

  • Achaemenid column base, other relics unearthed in UNESCO-listed Hegmataneh 2026-06-19 17:55

    Achaemenid column base, other relics unearthed in UNESCO-listed Hegmataneh

    TEHRAN - Iranian archaeologists conducting the 25th season of excavations at the UNESCO-listed ancient site of Hegmataneh in western Iran have uncovered an Achaemenid-era column base, remnants of medieval Islamic water management systems, and architectural remains dating to the Qajar and early Pahlavi periods, the excavation director said.

  • Breathing life into a 6,000-year-old instrument: the Chogha Mish harp project 2026-06-17 17:50

    Breathing life into a 6,000-year-old instrument: the Chogha Mish harp project

    TEHRAN - For more than two decades, Iranian musician, instrument maker, and researcher Abdolali Bagherinejad has pursued an ambitious goal: reviving the sound of a harp that fell silent over 6,000 years ago. The celebrated curved harp has been reconstructed through meticulous study of ancient visual evidence from the archaeological site of Chogha Mish, near Dezful in southwestern Iran's Khuzestan province.

  • Chogha Golan archaeological site undergoes new excavation 2026-06-15 18:24

    Chogha Golan archaeological site undergoes new excavation

    TEHRAN – Authorities in Iran's western Ilam province have launched the fourth season of archaeological excavations at the prehistoric site of Chogha Golan, a provincial official said.

  • Echoes of the past: Golden bracelet with an inscription older than itself 2026-06-10 23:47

    Echoes of the past: Golden bracelet with an inscription older than itself

    The pictured golden bracelet is a masterpiece of Neo-Elamite metalwork and a testament to the sophisticated craftsmanship of the period.

  • Iranian prehistorian elected to International Academy of Prehistory and Protohistory 2026-06-08 18:07

    Iranian prehistorian elected to International Academy of Prehistory and Protohistory

    TEHRAN – Iranian archaeologist Fereidoun Biglari, deputy director of the National Museum of Iran and head of its Paleolithic Department, has been elected a Full Member of the International Academy of Prehistory and Protohistory (AIPP), becoming the first Iranian scholar to receive this distinction.

  • Archaeological evidence points to ancient Parthian naval base near Strait of Hormuz 2026-06-05 18:08

    Archaeological evidence points to ancient Parthian naval base near Strait of Hormuz

    TEHRAN - Archaeological investigations in southern Iran have uncovered evidence suggesting that the Parthian Empire established a strategic naval base near the Strait of Hormuz around 2,000 years ago, highlighting Iran's historical role in monitoring one of the world's most important maritime trade routes, a local archaeologist said.

  • New hall and ritual offering tables unearthed at Vigol fire temple site 2026-06-02 17:25

    New hall and ritual offering tables unearthed at Vigol fire temple site

    TEHRAN – Archaeologists working at the ancient Vigol archaeological site in central Iran have discovered a new hall and the remains of ritual offering tables during the third season of excavations at the site, a cultural heritage official said on Monday.

  • Protection boundaries approved for eight historical sites in Khuzestan province 2026-06-02 17:24

    Protection boundaries approved for eight historical sites in Khuzestan province

    TEHRAN – Iran’s Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts has approved protection boundaries and preservation regulations for eight historical and archaeological sites in the southwestern province of Khuzestan, the provincial tourism chief said on Monday.

  • Gav Bast Mountain’s 8,000-year-old artifacts on display in National Museum 2026-06-02 17:15

    Gav Bast Mountain’s 8,000-year-old artifacts on display in National Museum

    TEHRAN - Gav Bast Mountain, with its 8,000-year history of human occupation, stands as a testament to the deep archaeological significance of Iran’s southern landscapes, a fact now highlighted in a major new virtual exhibition at the National Museum of Iran.

  • Iranian researchers uncover likely image of last Sasanian king 2026-05-30 18:05

    Iranian researchers uncover likely image of last Sasanian king

    TEHRAN - Researchers from University of Tehran have identified what they believe may be the last known portrait of Yazdegerd III, the final king of the Sasanian Empire, following archaeological excavations at the ancient Bazeh Hur fire temple in northeastern Iran, according to a study published in the Italian academic journal East and West.

  • Echoes of the past: A guard dog sculpture 2026-05-24 23:12

    Echoes of the past: A guard dog sculpture

    Being kept at the National Museum of Iran, the pictured sculpture, is a remarkable artwork which dates from the Achaemenid era (c. 550-330BC).

  • A look at Iran’s treasure trove in Russia 2026-05-19 19:55

    A look at Iran’s treasure trove in Russia

    The State Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg, Russia, houses one of the most important and richest collections of pre-Islamic Iranian art and artifacts in the world. This unique collection ranges from Elamite pottery to Achaemenid reliefs and Parthian coins, offering visitors a vivid picture of the history and art of ancient Iran.