TEHRAN -- The archaeologists working at an ancient site near Bandar Abbas recently discovered a fragment of an inscription which seems to be written in Elamite cuneiform, the Persian service of CHN reported on Tuesday.

The director of the team said that the discovery was made in a cemetery from the Qajar era near Sarkhun village, adding that the archaeologists estimate that it dates back to about 1500 BC, which was the middle Elamite era.

The inscription is one of the most important and rare artifacts discovered in Hormozgan Province in recent years, noted Hossein Tofiqian.

The cuneiform inscription has been engraved on a 6x7 centimeter piece of stone, he explained, adding that the artifact has been seriously damaged and its other pieces must be located so that a more precise determination of its date and origin can be made.

The fragment has nine lines and some of the letters are clear but the words are not clear, he said.

The expansion of the Elamite civilization to the Persian Gulf and Bushehr has been studied before but no such clear evidence had been found until now.

Bandar Abbas is located on the northern shore of the strategic Strait of Hormoz, which connects the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman.