TEHRAN –Two ancient rock-carved petroglyphs have recently been discovered in the eastern city of Khusf, which was once situated on the ancient Silk Road, Khusf’s tourism chief has said. 

A new layer of petroglyphs has been discovered in the area following recent rainfall and flooding, CHTN quoted Ali Salehi as saying on Wednesday. 

Located north of a small village in South Khorasan province, these petroglyphs have been painted in a clever and purposeful manner, the official explained. 

These rock carvings are engraved on volcanic rocks and depict mountain goats, horses, riders, hunting scenes, and flowers, he added. 

According to archaeologists, the newly discovered petroglyphs date back to between 2,500 and 3,000 years ago, during the Sagartian era, an ancient Iranian tribe, dwelling in the Iranian plateau, he noted. 

South Khorasan is an explorer’s delight – lots to discover yet barely another visitor to be found, even at the most important sights (despite a decent infrastructure of recently paved roads).

The region intersperses arid mountains and semi-deserts and is famed for saffron and barberries. But there’s also a wealth of old mud villages that seem to have been left almost complete as though to tempt archaeologists.

Currently, there are over 40 countries alongside the historic land and maritime routes, which are collectively named the Silk Road, (or Silk Roads). This vast network carried more than just merchandise and precious commodities, however: the constant movement and mixing of populations also brought about the transmission of knowledge, ideas, cultures, and beliefs, which had a profound impact on the history and civilizations of the Eurasian peoples.

Experts say that travelers along the Silk Road were attracted not only by trade but also by the intellectual and cultural exchange that was taking place in cities along the Silk Road, many of which developed into hubs of culture and learning. Science, arts, and literature, as well as crafts and technologies, were thus shared and disseminated into societies along the lengths of these routes, and in this way, languages, religions, and cultures developed and influenced each other.

For thousands of years, the ancient Silk Road passed through many different empires, kingdoms, reigns, and societies. According to UNESCO, the Silk Road enriched the countries it passed through, transporting cultures, religions, languages, and of course material goods into societies across Europe, Asia, and Africa, and uniting them all with a common thread of cultural heritage and plural identities.

ABU/