Mount Khwaja is a flat-topped black basalt hill rising up as an island in the middle of Lake Hamun, in the Iranian province of Sistan and Baluchestan. According to experts, the region has been a great site for social and political communities to flourish. The Mount Khwaja Complex was first identified by British archaeologist A. Stein in 1916 and later excavated by German archaeologist E. Herzfeld.
It is steeped in ancient history datable to over 5000 years and boasts of the most significant archeological and historical sites in the country.
Located some 30 kilometers southwest of the city of Zabol, Mount Khwaja contains some of the most remarkable relics of the Parthian, Sassanid and Islamic eras.
The mountain houses a palace, a fire temple, a Buddhist monastery, a group of small temples, a graveyard and a pilgrimage center which has given its name to the site.
Some eleven monuments were also unearthed at the site by the former provincial cultural heritage department in 1991.
The Buddhist monastery at Mount Khwaja was uncovered by Sir Aurel Stein in 1916, developing the theory that Buddhism originated in Iran and later nurtured in modern India, Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Herzfeld's findings also indicated that the palace and the fire temple existed during the Parthian era and that the ruins of the southern slope, known as Kuk-u Kohzad, date back to the 1st century BCE.
The diverse architectural decorations used in the complex show the significance of the site throughout different historical periods. Traces of Greek architecture can be seen in some of the mountain's castles, while the lotus flower patterns conjure up the Achaemenid art.
The oldest structure found at the site is a Parthian fortress on the mountain's eastern slope, which is known by different names such as Rostam's castle, the Kaferun castle and Kohan Dezh.
The fortress bears Sassanid bas-reliefs depicting three horse-riders. Studies have also found traces of reliefs inscribed after Sassanid soldiers conquered the fortress. Archeologists have also found a mural painting on Mount Khwaja, depicting three clerics, the God of Victory on a horse, and a Parthian king along with his queen and dignitaries. Another sacred place at Mount Khwaja is the Roasted Wheat Mausoleum, which people visit during the Persian New Year festival (Nowruz) to offer roasted wheat for a bumper harvest in the coming year.
Residents of Zabol welcome the New Year with the traditional Panjak ceremony held during the last five days of the year at Mount Khwaja.
Nowruz ceremonies in the region include performing folk music, songs and traditional sword dancing as well as rituals inspired by Zoroastrianism, such as lighting fires on the last Thursday night of the year.
However, Mount Khwaja is only one of the numerous ancient sites in the region of Sistan.
The 5000-year-old Burnt City is also one of the dazzling sites located near the city of Zabol, spanning an area of over 300,000 hectares. Four civilizations have lived in the city which was burnt down three times and not rebuilt after the last fire.
The world's oldest animated picture, dice and backgammon set, the earliest known caraway seed and artificial eyeball have all been found in the Burnt City.
The significant site of the Mount Khwaja is remembered as the largest unbaked mud construction and the only natural heights remaining in the area.