TEHRAN - The unveiling ceremony of ancient discoveries from southern Sistan, a vast region in Sistan-Baluchestan province, was held Thursday at the Great Museum of Zahedan, attracting local officials and cultural heritage enthusiasts.

“These artifacts have been unearthed from archaeological surveys of ancient sites in southern Sistan earlier this year… This marks the first time these items have been displayed,” the provincial tourism chief Mohammad-Hadi Tehrani-Moqaddam said at the event.

The official also highlighted the significance of the artifacts, including 120 coins from the medieval and late Islamic periods, glazed decorative pottery, ornamental beads, stone and bronze objects, and human figurines.

Tehrani-Moqaddam further elaborated that the systematic and methodical survey was conducted by an eight-member team, comprising five archaeologists, two surveyors, and a pottery designer, under the supervision of the archaeologist Mojtaba Saadatian.

“The discoveries provide invaluable insights into the region's historical and cultural heritage, enriching our understanding of its past civilizations.”

The collective province -- Sistan in the north and Baluchestan in the south -- accounts for one of the driest regions of Iran with a slight increase in rainfall from east to west and an obvious rise in humidity in the coastal regions. In ancient times, the region was a crossword in the Indus Valley and the Babylonian civilizations.

Sistan-Baluchestan possesses special significance because of being located in a strategic transit location, especially Chabahar, which is the only ocean port in Iran and the best and easiest access route of the middle Asian countries to free waters.

The province is home to several distinctive archaeological sites and natural attractions, including two UNESCO World Heritage sites, namely Shahr-e-Soukhteh (Burnt City) and the Lut Desert.

AM