Tangeh Bolāghi, also transliterated as ''Tange-ye Bolāghi'' ( fa, تنگه بلاغی), or Bolāghi

Gorge A canyon (from ; archaic British English spelling: ''cañon''), or gorge, is a deep cleft between escarpments or cliffs resulting from weathering and the erosion, erosive activity of a river over geologic time scales. Rivers have a natural tenden ...

, is an archaeologically significant valley consisting of 130 ancient settlements, dating back to the period between 5000 BCE and the

Sassanian The Sasanian () or Sassanid Empire, officially known as the Empire of Iranians (, ) and also referred to by historians as the Neo-Persian Empire, was the last Iranian empire before the early Muslim conquests of the 7th-8th centuries AD. Named ...

dynastic era (224-651 CE). It is situated in

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

’s southern province of Fars, some 7 kilometres from

Pasargadae Pasargadae (from Old Persian ''Pāθra-gadā'', "protective club" or "strong club"; Modern Persian: ''Pāsārgād'') was the capital of the Achaemenid Empire under Cyrus the Great (559–530 BC), who ordered its construction and the location of ...

, Iran. This is the valley of the Polvar River, a tributary to

Kor River Kor River (also Kur River; fa, رود کر) is located in the Fars Province of Iran. The sources of the river are mostly in the Zagros Mountains near Mount Dena. It flows into the Bakhtegan Lake, which is a salt lake. The increased salinity leve ...

. Archaeological research since 2005 have discovered a section of the

Royal Road The Royal Road was an ancient highway reorganized and rebuilt by the Persian king Darius the Great (Darius I) of the first (Achaemenid) Persian Empire in the 5th century BC. Darius built the road to facilitate rapid communication on the western ...

(''Rāh-e Shāhi'' — راه شاهی) connecting Pasargadae to

Persepolis , native_name_lang = , alternate_name = , image = Gate of All Nations, Persepolis.jpg , image_size = , alt = , caption = Ruins of the Gate of All Nations, Persepolis. , map = , map_type ...

Susa Susa ( ; Middle elx, 𒀸𒋗𒊺𒂗, translit=Šušen; Middle and Neo- elx, 𒋢𒋢𒌦, translit=Šušun; Neo-Elamite and Achaemenid elx, 𒀸𒋗𒐼𒀭, translit=Šušán; Achaemenid elx, 𒀸𒋗𒐼, translit=Šušá; fa, شوش ...

and other regions of the

Persian Empire The Achaemenid Empire or Achaemenian Empire (; peo, wikt:𐎧𐏁𐏂𐎶, 𐎧𐏁𐏂, , ), also called the First Persian Empire, was an History of Iran#Classical antiquity, ancient Iranian empire founded by Cyrus the Great in 550 BC. Bas ...

up to

Sardis Sardis () or Sardes (; Lydian: 𐤳𐤱𐤠𐤭𐤣 ''Sfard''; el, Σάρδεις ''Sardeis''; peo, Sparda; hbo, ספרד ''Sfarad'') was an ancient city at the location of modern ''Sart'' (Sartmahmut before 19 October 2005), near Salihli, ...

. Excavations have provided

archaeologists Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscap ...

with a unique insight into the lives of the people living in the

Achaemenid The Achaemenid Empire or Achaemenian Empire (; peo, wikt:𐎧𐏁𐏂𐎶, 𐎧𐏁𐏂, , ), also called the First Persian Empire, was an History of Iran#Classical antiquity, ancient Iranian empire founded by Cyrus the Great in 550 BC. Bas ...

dynastic era.

Archaeology

Prior to

Sivand Dam Sivand Dam is a dam built in 2007 in Fars Province, Iran.Sassanid The Sasanian () or Sassanid Empire, officially known as the Empire of Iranians (, ) and also referred to by historians as the Neo-Persian Empire, was the last Iranian empire before the early Muslim conquests of the 7th-8th centuries AD. Named ...

era (224-651). The skeleton, found in a

squatting position Squatting is a versatile posture where the weight of the body is on the feet but the knees and hips are bent. In contrast, sitting involves taking the weight of the body, at least in part, on the buttocks against the ground or a horizontal object. ...

, is of an adult man. An

earthenware Earthenware is glazed or unglazed nonvitreous pottery that has normally been fired below . Basic earthenware, often called terracotta, absorbs liquids such as water. However, earthenware can be made impervious to liquids by coating it with a ce ...

item was also found at this site which is considered to be the largest ancient earthenware of its kind ever found in Iran. In April 2006 this find was overshadowed by the discovery of the 7000-years old skeleton of a young woman dating from the

Tell-i Bakun Tall-i Bakun or Tall-e Bakun (in modern Fars Province, Iran) was a prehistoric site in the Ancient Near East about 3 km south of Persepolis. It was inhabited around 4000-3500 BC. Archaeology The site consists of two mounds, A and B. In 1928 ...

Era (the fifth and fourth millennia BC) by a joint Iranian-German team of archaeologists in the same area. The archaeologists further found eight stone beads with the skeleton close to her wrists and neck. "The girl was buried while sleeping on her side and bending her legs with arms under her head like the sleep position of most children", according to the head of the team.Cultural Heritage News Agency, 30 April 2006
''7000-Year-Old Mass Grave Discovered in Bolaghi Gorge''
When the Sivand Dam came into full service in 2007, part of an ancient site including the Achaemenid Shah's Road between

Cyrus Cyrus (Persian: کوروش) is a male given name. It is the given name of a number of Persian kings. Most notably it refers to Cyrus the Great ( BC). Cyrus is also the name of Cyrus I of Anshan ( BC), King of Persia and the grandfather of Cyrus t ...

's tomb and

, 130 ancient settlements and a palace ascribed to

Darius the Great Darius I ( peo, 𐎭𐎠𐎼𐎹𐎺𐎢𐏁 ; grc-gre, Δαρεῖος ; – 486 BCE), commonly known as Darius the Great, was a Persian ruler who served as the third King of Kings of the Achaemenid Empire, reigning from 522 BCE until his d ...

may have been immersed in water from the rising Polvar River. Yet some reports indicated that there was not enough water flow in the river to fill up the dam completely.

Gallery

Image:Skeleton_of_Girl_found_in_Tang-e_Bolaghi_7000_years_old.jpg, Skeleton of a young woman (estimated to have been between 14 and 16 at the time of death) dating from 7000 years ago, excavated in ''Tangeh Bolāghi'' Image:Skeleton_of_Girl_found_in_Tang-e_Bolaghi_7000_years_old_2.jpg, The same as the previous photograph

Notes and references

External links

* ''Pasargadae World Heritage Site'', Pasargadae official website

''Nota bene:'' This domain name seems to have been sold to a commercial company and therefore does not represent the original site. * Cultural Heritage News Agency (CHN)
(''Khabar-gozāri-e Mirās-e Farhangi'' - خبرگزاری میراث فرهنگی)
* CHN
''Archaeological excavations in Bolaghi Gorge — 8 Images''
(with English captions). * CHN
''Archaeological excavations in Bolaghi Gorge — 8 Images''
(with Persian captions). * CHN, 26 April 2006
''Disturbing a 7000-Year-Old Girl’s Nap in Bolaghi Gorge''
* CHN, 30 April 2006
''7000-Year-Old Mass Grave Discovered in Bolaghi Gorge''
* CHN, 15 May 2006
''Palace of Darius the Great Discovered in Bolaghi Gorge''
* CHN, 27 June 2006
''5000-Year-Old Settlement Areas Found in Bolaghi Gorge''
* CHN, 13 August 2006
''Life Goes Back to 10000 Years Ago in Bolaghi Gorge''
* CHN, 30 September 2006
''Looking for the Extent of Wine Production in Bolaghi Gorge''
* CHN, 24 February 2007
''Palace of Darius the Great to be Unearthed in Bolaghi Gorge''
* CHN, 5 March 2007
''Eastern Porch of Darius’ Palace Discovered in Bolaghi Gorge''
* CHN, 14 March 2007
''Wine Production Structures in Bolaghi Gorge are in Danger''
* CHN, 19 March 2007
''Eyes of Achaemenid Statues Found in Bolaghi Gorge''
* CHN, 12 April 2007
''Initial Measures for Sivand Inundation Started''
* CHN, 21 July 2007
''Darius Palace in Bolaghi Gorge to be Restored''
* International Committee to Save the Archaeological Sites of Pasargad
Persian
* Mohammad Sālehi-Zādeh and Negār Sālehi-Zādeh, directors and producers, ''The last screams of Bolāghi Gorge and Pasargadae Plains'' ("''Ākharin Faryād'ha'ye Tang-e ye Bolāghi va Dasht-e Pāsār'gād''"), dedicated to International Committee to Save the Archaeological Sites of Pasargad
YouTube
* ''Persepolis'', Encyclopædia Britannica On-line

* ''Pasargad, Bam registered in World Heritage list'', Payvand, January 7, 2005

*Heritage of the forgotten empir

(This is a link to a commercial Air travelling company - may be removed.)
Sivand
* Deutsches Archäologisches Institut (German Archaeological Institute)

(in English). * Kamyar Abdi, ''Sensationalism vs. Rationalism.'' ''The Sivand Dam: political sensationalism vs. archaeological rationalism'', September 12, 2005

* Ali Mousavi, ''Cyrus can rest in peace.'' ''Pasargadae and rumors about the dangers of Sivand Dam'', September 16, 2005

{{Fars Province Archaeological sites in Iran Architecture in Iran Geography of Fars Province

Archaeology

Gallery

See also

Notes and references

External links