TEHRAN - The oldest ziggurat in Iran, which is thought to be 3,750-4,000 years old, has recently been discovered in the ancient district of "Silk-e Kashan."

With two hills and two historic cemeteries, the ancient district of "Silk" is a precious treasury dating from the sixth to first millenniums B.C.

Sadeq Malek-Shahmirzadi, the chairman of the Archaeological Department of the Cultural Heritage Organization said that French archaeologist Roman Grishman discovered it in 1933 while excavating the Silk's south hill and named it the "Huge Building."

Following excavations and reconstruction of some parts of the Huge Building, archaeologists discovered the remains of a ziggurat which belonged to the early Elamite era.

Over one million mud bricks were used in the reconstruction of this ziggurat.

Following the discovery of the Silk Ziggurat in Kashan, the ziggurats of Choghazanbil and Haft Tappeh have been reclassified as the second and third oldest ziggurats in Iran.