TEHRAN – Ancient objects have recently been unearthed accidentally in a northeastern Iranian village where locals were digging a trench to lay water pipes.

Two earthen urns, which are expected to date from the late Islamic eras, have been discovered accidentally during a water supply project in the village of Burs in Torbat-e Heydarieh county, Ali Mohammadi, the tourism chief of the county, announced on Thursday.

The locals soon informed authorities in charge of protecting the cultural heritage that the discovery had been taken place near one of the residential houses, the official added.

Over the past couple of years, Torbat-e Heydarieh and its surroundings have yielded traces of the ancient settlements. Last year, an archaeological site was exposed on the outskirts of Torbat-e Heydarieh after torrential rains washed the soil away. The site was accessed to date back to the early and middle Islamic eras, according to preliminary studies carried out by the cultural heritage experts.

According to archaeological studies, Torbat-e Heydarieh is home to several historical caves due to its favorable habitat conditions and traces of habitation from about 40,000 years have been identified in the caves of the region. The history of the area stretches back to the Achaemenian Empire from the 6th to 4th century BC and the Parthian Empire from the 3rd century BC to the 3rd century CE.

AFM/