TEHRAN – During 10 years of archeological studies, 548 sites and relics, dating from the Paleolithic era to the late Islamic centuries, have been discovered in Jahrom, southern Fars province, ISNA reported on Friday.

In this project, the majority of sites identified from the central part of Jahrom were related to the Achaemenid and Sassanid periods, and are mostly impassable castles built in mountainous terrain, said Majid Mansuri who presided over the project.

There were also numerous sites and monuments from different Islamic eras, such as castles, roads, bridges, caravanserais, and cisterns, he added.

The ancient region of Fars, also spelled Pars or Persis, was the heart of the Achaemenian Empire (550–330 BC), which was founded by Cyrus the Great and had its capital at Pasargadae. Darius I the Great moved the capital to nearby Persepolis in the late 6th or early 5th century BC.

ABU/AM