TEHRAN -- A part of the Burnt City’s grain storehouse was unearthed during the archaeological stratigraphy of the 5200-year-old site in southeastern Iran.

A team of archaeologists led by Mansur Sajjadi began the excavations in early November in an area measuring 2x50 meters.

“The team is carrying out a stair-like excavation in the area. When we reach a stratum, we stop digging and continue the excavation one meter ahead. Thus, we have discovered different strata through this method,” Sajjadi said.

“We found remnants of a building in one of the strata during the excavations. The team performed some tests on soil gathered from the building’s grounds and found traces of 5000-year-old grain. Near the entrances of the building, we also discovered some beads which confirmed our idea that the building is a grain storehouse,” he explained.

The Burnt City is a perfect ancient city, i.e., this city had various districts that had storehouses for certain trades and professions, which should be excavated in the future, Sajjadi said in conclusion.

Sajjadi’s team has also announced that they plan to make studies during the current phase of excavations to determine if one of the large structures discovered in the urban area of the site is a temple.

Nine seasons of excavations have been carried out at the Burnt City, which is located 57 kilometers from the city of Zabol in Iran’s Sistan-Baluchestan Province.

Covering an area of 150 hectares, the site was one of the world’s largest cities at the dawn of the urban era. It was built circa 3200 BC and destroyed some time around 2100 BC.

The city had four stages of civilization and was burnt down three times. Since it was not rebuilt after the last time it was burnt down, it has been named the Burnt City.