TEHRAN – An Iranian MP has said the ancient site of Qareh Hasanlu, which recently yielded some ancient relics, will be preserved against a developing steel factory nearby.

On Thursday, Ali Nikzad, who represents the cities of Ardabil, Nir, Namin, and Sarein, said that cultural heritage criteria will be taken into consideration for constructing the factory, CHTN reported.

“The state-run factory is not supposed to be constructed on the ruins of the archaeological site…. Additionally, its stakeholders have collaborated with the Research Institute for Cultural Heritage and Tourism for a recent survey,” he explained.

Earlier, this month, archaeologists discovered some relics and the ruins of an ancient building in the northwestern site, estimated to date from the Parthian era (247 BC – 224 CE).

“Four burials and several objects have been unearthed at the site,” Ardabil’s tourism chief Nader Fallahi said. 

The project was launched to safeguard and protect the historical site against further destruction on the one hand, and to identify comprehensive information on possible cultural layers, particularly Iron Age settlements, on the other hand.

AFM