Over 5,000 ancient relics confiscated from antique dealer

TEHRAN – Some 5,415 ancient relics have recently been confiscated from a smuggler in Gonbad-e Kavus, northern Golestan province.

By Afshin Majlesi

Explore mausoleum of Esther and Mordechai

The purported burial site of Purim’s Persian queen and a pilgrimage site for Iranian Jews

TEHRAN – The mausoleum of Esther and Mordechai is a Jewish shrine in the city of Hamedan, west-central Iran, where, according to Judeo-Persian tradition is the burial site of the two cousins who played a pivotal role in the Book of Esther (also known as the Megillah).

Sadeh, the ancient festival of mid-winter, added to national heritage list

TEHRAN – Jashn-e Sadeh has been registered on Iran’s National Intangible Cultural Heritage list in a bid to preserve the ancient festival of mid-winter. 

Another archaeological season to commence on Laodicea Temple

TEHRAN – A team of Iranian archaeologists is to conduct a fresh survey on the enigmatic Laodicea Temple, which is situated in the city of Nahavand, Hamedan province, west-central Iran.

Awe-inspiring, ancient and lonely: Zahhak Castle

Sightseers pay a visit to the ruined Zahhak Castle which is perched on a hillside near Hashtroud, northwest Iran, on May 19, 2020. 

Seven-thousand-year-old clay vessels unearthed in Iran

TEHRAN – A total of six clay vessels, which believed to date back to the fifth millennium BC, have recently been unearned in Moushelan Tepe, a significant archaeological site 65 km west of Tehran. 

Iron Age relics unveiled in Zanjan

TEHRAN – A total of 32 pre-historical objects, estimated to date from the Iron Age, were unveiled at the Zolfaqari Museum of the northwestern Zanjan province on Monday to mark International Museum Day.

Human life in Iran’s Rey is as old as 8,000 years: archaeologist

TEHRAN – Rey is considered to be the oldest city in the central Iranian plateau with a history of human settlement that stretches back in time for over 8,000 years, a senior Iranian archaeologist Qadir Afrovand has said.

Over 100 relics restored in Chaharmahal-Bakhtiari 

TEHRAN – Some 114 historical objects have been restored by teams of cultural heritage experts and restorers in the southwestern Chaharmahal-Bakhtiari province, provincial tourism chief has said. 

Iranian police seize historical objects from smuggler 

TEHRAN – A number of historical objects have recently been confiscated from a smuggler in Neyshabur, northeastern Khorasan Razavi province, a senior police official in charge of protecting cultural heritage said on Thursday, CHTN reported.

Flash floods unearth human skeletons dating to later Islamic times

TEHRAN – Two human skeletons, which have newly been discovered in Iran’s northern Golestan Province, are estimated to date from the later Islamic times, CHTN reported on Friday.

Quake causes cracks in Tehran’s Sahebqaraniyeh Palace

TEHRAN – Some minor cracks have appeared in the historical Sahebqaraniyeh Palace, which is located in northern Tehran, due to an earthquake with a magnitude of 5.1 on the Richter scale that occurred early on Friday 56 km northeast of the city.

Oshnavieh, an archaeologist’s paradise

TEHRAN – Resting on a layer cake of civilizations that have come and gone for millennia, Oshnavieh county, in northwest Iran, is teemed with ancient hills, tomb chambers, archaeological sites and bas-relief carvings. According to many, it’s a paradise for archaeologists.

Restoration of Iran’s royal equestrian relief nears completion

TEHRAN – A restoration work on the equestrian relief of Hormizd II, the Sassanid king (r. 303 BC– 309), will be completed within the next week.

Jiroft, a magnificent cradle of civilization

TEHRAN – The discovery of the magnificent Jiroft site came by accident in the very early 21st century when rounds of heavy flood along the Halil River swept the topsoil off thousands of previously unknown tombs and led to the discovery of many artifacts believed by archeologists to belong to the Early Bronze Age (late 3rd millennium BC).

Police seize Iron-Age relics in northern Iran

TEHRAN - Iranian authorities have recently confiscated tens of relics from a gang of illegal diggers and smugglers in northern Iran. The objects are estimated to date from the Iron Age to the Parthian era, CHTN reported on Wednesday.

Flash floods reveal archaeological site in northeast Iran

TEHRAN – An archaeological site has recently been unearthed on the outskirts of Torbat-e Heydarieh after torrential rains washed the soil away in the northeastern Iranian region.

Seljuk-era relics recovered in Tehran 

TEHRAN – Iranian police have recently confiscated four historical objects related to Seljuk era (1037–1194) in Tehran.

Ancient bas-relief discovered in western Iran

TEHRAN – An ancient bas-relief carving, which depicts human being figures, has recently been discovered in western Iran.

By Afshin Majlesi

Why Iran expects tourism boom after coronavirus

TEHRAN – The novel coronavirus pandemic has brought travel to a standstill nearly all over the globe, including Iran, causing huge job and revenue losses.

‘Mantis-man’ describes puzzling petroglyph found in Iran

TEHRAN – A team of entomologists and archaeologists has concluded a previously founded petroglyph showcases a six-limbed creature with the head and arms of a praying mantis.

Parthian-era relics recovered from a second-hand shop in Tehran

TEHRAN – Tens of ancient relics, estimated to date from the Parthian era (247 BC – 224 CE), have recently been recovered from a second-hand shop in downtown Tehran.

Remnants of prehistorical settlement discovered in Iran’s Jiroft

TEHRAN – A team of Iranian and German archaeologists has recently discovered remnants of a prehistorical settlement during a survey in an ancient hill in Jiroft, southeast Iran.

Atashgah: A hillside Zoroastrian fire temple in Isfahan

TEHRAN – Though Iran is a Muslim-majority country, it is home to ancient Zoroastrian sites still retaining otherworldly charm.

Qaleh Gardan: A crumbling Iron Age fort in northern Iran

TEHRAN – Nearly all over the Iranian Plateau you can find traces of antiquity though the main areas of Iron Age development are situated in today’s southern and southwestern provinces of Khuzestan, Lorestan, Fars, and Kordestan.

ISCARSAH expertise to help restore Ilkhanid mausoleum in Iran

TEHRAN – The International Scientific Committee on the Analysis and Restoration of Structures of Architectural Heritage (ISCARSAH) will launch a project to restore the Ala ud-Daula Simnani mausoleum, which dates back to the Ilkhanid era (1256–1353.

Tehran archaeology symposium to convene experts from around the globe

TEHRAN – A number of international cultural heritage experts, historians and archaeologists have been invited to attend the 17th Annual Symposium on the Iranian Architecture, which will be held on February 18-19.

Ancient festival of mid-winter observed by Zoroastrians across Iran

TEHRAN – A host of Iranian Zoroastrians come together in Taft county, central Yazd province, to observe Jashn-e Sadeh, a time-honored religious festival of mid-winter on January 30, 2020.

Marble Palace set to open as art museum after four decades

TEHRAN – The Marble Palace, a historical royal residence in Tehran, is set to open to the public as an art museum after 41 years.

Tokyo exhibit features ancient Iran-Japan cultural ties

TEHRAN – Sets of valuable historical relics from ancient Iran have been recently put on show by International Network for Japanese Art at Tokyo National Museum along with exquisite objects from the formative Asuka and Nara periods (593–794), showcasing the deep cultural ties of the two countries rooted in the historical past.