TEHRAN – Completion of the underway projects of a fossil site in the city of Maragheh, northwestern East Azarbaijan province, needs more monetary contributions, an official with the province’s Department of Environment has announced.

Considering the importance of paleontological excavations in this city and as a favorite destination for fossilologists, the scientific and tourism capacities of the city should be considered, ISNA quoted Mohammad Medadi as saying on Thursday. 

However, to pursue excavations and fossil discoveries, it is essential to increase funding, the official added. 

The fossil site of Maragheh is one of the richest fossil areas in the world, and in the last study conducted, ancestral fossils of mammoths, giraffes, and deer were found in this area. 

It was found that the fossil layers in Maragheh date back to the end of the Cenozoic period, approximately seven to twelve million years ago, and that scientific exploration can provide accurate information about the lives of these gigantic animals.

As a result of the presence of mastodon and mammoth fossils (prehistory fossils), the fossil area of Maragheh has global fame and is now under the protection of the province’s Department of Environment.

As the first national, natural, and fossil remnant of Iran, Maragheh has the highest rating of environmental protection.

ABU/AFM