TEHRAN – Police in Iran’s Marvdasht county have seized four historical column bases and arrested two suspects in an operation targeting illegal antiquities activity, a local police commander said.

Fereydoon Mardani, commander of Marvdasht’s law enforcement, said officers acted on intelligence indicating that a number of historical objects were being stored at a private residence in a village in the county. The investigation was part of ongoing efforts to combat unauthorized excavations and the trafficking of cultural artifacts.

“After coordinating with judicial authorities, officers searched the premises and discovered four column bases with historical value,” Mardani said on Sunday. 

He added that two individuals were detained and referred to judicial authorities. Experts have confirmed that the seized items are of historical significance, he said, without providing further details on their age or origin.

Mardani warned against attempts to plunder cultural heritage and called for public cooperation in protecting historical assets.

Marvdasht, located in Fars province, embraces several prominent archaeological sites, including Persepolis, the UNESCO-listed ceremonial capital of the Achaemenid Empire, as well as Naqsh-e Rostam and Naqsh-e Rajab. The area also includes the ruins of the ancient city of Istakhr.

Archaeological research indicates that settled communities existed on the Marvdasht Plain for millennia before Achaemenid king Darius I chose nearby foothills for the construction of Persepolis.
AM