Burnt City stamp to come out soon

March 15, 2007 - 0:0
TEHRAN -- The stamp of the 5200-year-old Burnt City will be soon published, head of Sistan-Baluchestan Post Company said on Wednesday.

The stamp bears the world’s oldest example of animation on an earthen bowl, Rahim Shahbakhsh said, adding that the bowl bears five pictures showing a goat jumping to eat the leaves of a tree.

The idea was proposed by Iran’s Cultural Heritage, Tourism, and Handicraft Organization (CHTHO) and the provincial company.

The Burnt City is located 57 km off the city of Zabol in the southeastern Iranian province of Sistan-Baluchestan.

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 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.