TEHRAN – The Museum of Rocks and Fossils in Sangsar, north-central province of Semnan, hosts one of the oldest fossils in the world.

The 620-million-year-old fossil is a kind of algae, which is one of the most visited objects of the private museum.

Inaugurated in 2016, the museum displays collections of fossils and rocks gathered from different provinces as well as some foreign countries including Germany, Sri Lanka, and Brazil.

Most of the thousands of fossils in the museum are marine organisms, and a small part of them belong to terrestrial organisms.

There are also collections of ornamental and mineral stones, which are mostly collected from the edge of the central desert of Iran and Alborz and Zagros mountain ranges.

There is also a section dedicated to the Sangsar nomads, which showcases weapons, spearheads, and stone tools as well as the history of clothes and traditions in nomadic life.

The main population centers of Semnan province lie along the ancient Silk Road (and modern-day Imam Reza Expressway), linking Rey (Tehran) with Khorasan (Mashhad). While few visitors spend much time in the area, driving through you can easily seek out several well-preserved caravanserais (notably Dehnamak and Ahowan), cisterns (the Cafe Abenbar in Garmsar is a special treat) and ruined mud citadels (Padeh is lumpy but fascinating). The large, bustling cities of Semnan, Damghan, and Shahrud (Bastam) all have a small selection of historic buildings and Semnan has a fine old covered bazaar.

ABU/MG