TEHRAN -  Iranian authorities have recently recovered a haul of relics, the majority of which date back to the Elamite, Seleucid, and Parthian eras.

“Police have confiscated 810 historical relics from a gang of smugglers who were attempting to ship the haul out of the country,” the police commander in charge of protecting cultural heritage said on Thursday.

The relics include various coins mined during the Elamite, Seleucid, and Parthian eras as well as bronze objects that date some 3,000 years, the commander said, CHTN reported.

A total of 930 objects were confiscated of which 810 have historical values and the rest are newly-made replicas, the report said.

Three members of the gang were detained and one ran away. The relics will soon be delivered to the Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts.  

The relics have been unearthed from unauthorized exactions in Sistan-Baluchestan, Khuzestan, and some other Iranian provinces, the police commander said.

Sistan-Baluchestan is home to several distinctive archaeological sites and natural attractions, including two UNESCO World Heritage sites, namely Shahr-e-Soukhteh (Burnt City) and Lut desert. Moreover, Khuzestan embraces three UNESCO World Heritage sites of Susa, Tchogha Zanbil, and Shushtar Historical Hydraulic System yet it is a region of raw beauty where its visitors could spend weeks exploring.

AFM