5000-year-old site in Iran is as large as the Burnt City

Tehran, June 9 : Archaeologists have discovered a 5000-year-old site in Iran, which could be as large as the Burnt City and belong to an important civilization.

According to a report in Tehran Times, the site, which dates back to the third millennium BC, was discovered during the latest excavations in Bampur region in Sistan-Baluchestan Province, southeastern Iran.

"In the Bampur valley, there is an ancient site covered with sand mounds, which is as large as the Burnt City and may belong to a civilization as great as the civilization of that the city," Mehdi Mortazavi, an archaeologist of the University of Sistan-Baluchestan, told the Persian service of CHN.

Covering an area of 152 hectares, the Burnt City, located 57 kilometers from the city of Zabol in Sistan-Baluchestan Province, is the largest prehistoric site of the province.

It was one of the world's largest conurbations at the dawn of the urban era and was well developed during the third millennium BC. It thus constitutes one of the country's most important prehistoric sites.

The new site measures 1x1.5 kilometer, according to Mortazavi.

"I feel sure that there are a large number of sites like this here. Such sites may even exist in nearby regions like Saravan," he stated.

"It's better for the site to remain covered for the time being, because it will be plundered by illegal excavations if the precise location of the site is revealed," he added.

Twenty sites - mostly prehistoric - have been discovered by the archaeologists of the University of Sistan-Baluchestan over the past few years.

ANI