TEHRAN –Iranian authorities have confiscated 145 historical objects from two antique dealers in the town of Pakdasht, near Tehran. 

After days of intelligence operations, two illegal dealers were traced and arrested after police received reports from cultural heritage aficionados about their misdeeds, Pakdahst’s police chief has announced. 

Recovered relics include spearheads, clay seals, metal rings, a metal knife with a decorative handle made of bone, and some copper and bronze objects, which are estimated to date back to the Achaemenid (550–330 BC) and Qajar (1789–1925) eras, IRNA quoted Reza Alibakhshi as saying on Tuesday. 

Cultural heritage experts are assessing that the objects worth more than four billion rials (around $95,000), he explained.

The culprits were surrendered to the judicial system for further investigation, the official added.

The Achaemenid Empire was the largest and most durable empire of its time, stretching from Ethiopia, through Egypt, to Greece, to Anatolia (modern Turkey), Central Asia, and to India.

The Qajar-era is one of the most fascinating periods in the history of the country, embracing European modernization while maintaining its identity.

ABU/AFM