TEHRAN – Reza Salehi Amiri, Iran’s Minister of Cultural Heritage, Tourism, and Handicrafts, visited Sistan-Baluchestan province on Thursday, emphasizing its vital role in the cultural and historical identity of Iran.

During his visit, Salehi Amiri toured several cultural heritage sites, including the UNESCO-designated Burnt City (Shahr-e Sukhteh), an ancient archaeological site of significant historical value.

Addressing a gathering of local residents and artisans, he described Sistan-Baluchestan as “the shining jewel of Iran’s culture and civilization,” stating that “Iran’s identity is incomplete without Sistan-Baluchestan.”

Speaking to the audience at the Burnt City Museum, the minister highlighted the province’s archaeological and cultural richness, stating that it is known as “the paradise of archaeologists.”

He further added, “When we speak of Iran, we cannot ignore the identity of Sistan-Baluchestan. This province has warm-hearted and honorable people who are a great asset to our political system. We must all strive to eradicate poverty from this province.”

Elsewhere in his remarks, the tourism minister expressed his commitment to prioritizing the development of the province. “I will undoubtedly make more visits to Sistan-Baluchestan during my tenure,” he said, emphasizing that addressing the province’s needs is a key priority for the Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism, and Handicrafts, as well as for the government.

The tour was Salehi Amiri’s inaugural domestic visit after he took the helm as tourism minister on August 31, underscoring the government’s efforts to recognize and promote the unique cultural and historical assets of Sistan-Baluchestan to boost tourism and bring economic development to the region.

Also known as Shahr-e Sukhteh, or Shahr-i Sokhta, Burnt City is associated with four rounds of civilization, all burnt down by catastrophic sets of fire.

According to the UN cultural body, changes in water courses and climate change led to the eventual abandonment of the city in the early second millennium. The structures, burial grounds, and many significant artifacts unearthed there and their well-preserved state due to the dry desert climate make this site a rich source of information regarding the emergence of complex societies and contacts between them in the third millennium BC.

Burnt City, which was once situated at the junction of Bronze Age trade routes crossing the Iranian plateau, was populated during four main periods up to 1800 BC. Previous rounds of excavations showed that its residents had great skills in weaving, and creating fine arts such as decorative objects, stone carving, and pottery painting.

Last year, Iranian archaeologist Seyyed-Mansour Seyyed-Sajjadi announced that the earliest period of human settlement in Burnt City might have occurred in about 3500 BC, more than 300 years before what was previously thought.

“In recent research and tests, based on the evidence and findings, we found out that the burnt city, contrary to what we thought, does not belong to 3200 BC,” Seyyed-Sajjadi said.

“The site is at least 300 years older than what we thought, which means that this city was founded at least 3500 BC.”

AM