TEHRAN – The number of visits to Teppeh Hasanlu, an archaeological hill that dates some 8,000 years, has been doubled to 3,200 people in the first quarter of this Persian year (started on March 20) compared to the same period a year earlier, according to a local official.

“Throughout the very first three months of the current year, 3,200 individuals have toured the historical site,” said the site’s director on Thursday, “The number indicates a 100% upsurge, compared to the corresponding time a year earlier.”

Tens of overseas visitors from China and Türkiye, Hasan Shiri continued, were also among the tourists.

“A wide array of advertising and promotional measures is in place to draw more inbound tourists before this year is out,” he further noted.

Shedding light on the arranged initiatives, Shiri pointed to holding various events such as “Nowruzgah,” presenting the site’s touristic capacities on the media, deploying tour guides, and installing tourist guide signs.

The Hasanlu site, one of the most important tourist sites in West Azarbaijan, is located in the tourist-targeted village of Hasanlu. This village features natural attractions such as the Hasanlu Dam and the Hasanlu Wetland.  The hill, with approximately eight thousand years of history, is one of the most important archaeological sites in the country. Thousands of precious cultural and historical artifacts, such as pottery, bronze and copper objects, jewelry, weapons, and decorative items, have been uncovered through excavations.

The most famous artifact discovered at this historical site is the “Golden Bowl of Hasanlu,” which is three thousand years old. This discovery is one of the most significant scientific findings in the history of archaeology in Iran and the world, and is considered one of the rarest historical, religious, and artistic artifacts of the ancient world.  The Teppe Hasanlu is located 80 kilometers from Urmia and nine kilometers from Naqadeh. In 1965, it was registered in the list of national monuments and has since been transformed into a national base for scientific, technical, and research activities.  According to archaeological data, this mound has been inhabited during 10 different periods. The tenth period, the oldest habitation of Hasanlu, dates back to the 6th to 3rd millennium BC.  The Hasanlu hill is situated in a lush and green plain known as “Solduz,” adjacent to a village of the same name. Approximately 14 archaeological sites have been identified around the Hasanlu mound, indicating the prosperity, suitable climate, and cultural growth of ancient peoples in this area.  The initial inhabitants of the Hasanlu mound were likely a people known as the Manneans, who left behind a vast and brilliant civilization. Their settlement areas were in the southern lands of Lake Urmia, and their name appears as “Minni” in the Bible.

XF/AM