TEHRAN – A team of archaeologists has commenced work on Tepe Quheh, situated in the Chahardangeh rural district of Alborz province, as part of an effort to define the legal boundaries of the historical hill.

The project is aimed to help protect the site from modern encroachment and provide clarity about future urban developments, CHTN reported on Sunday.

 Rahim Khaki, the provincial tourism chief, on Sunday said that the trenching operation is led by Dr. Hamid Haririan, with authorization from the Research Institute of Cultural Heritage and Tourism.

According to Khaki, the purpose of the survey is to accurately determine the historical timeline of the site and propose legal restrictions to safeguard it from illegal construction.

Tepe Quheh, known for its prominent height, has historically attracted attention from various civilizations. Over the years, a number of artifacts, including prehistorical, historical, and Islamic-era pottery shards, have been uncovered in and around the site.

One of the major challenges facing archaeological sites in Iran, as highlighted by Khaki, is the rapid urban expansion.

To enhance the protection of [lesser-known] archaeological sites, the official stressed the need for inter-agency cooperation to protect these valuable historical areas.

The establishment of clear legal boundaries around Tepe Quheh will play a key role in preserving the site and preventing unauthorized construction within its vicinity, the official explained.

Khaki also expressed hope that this initiative will not only help safeguard the hill but also alleviate concerns for local residents seeking to build homes in the area, who may be unsure about the legal status of the land.

Tepe Quheh, a hill registered on the National Heritage List of Iran in 2003 under registration number 10830, remains a significant focus of historical and archaeological research.

Alborz province embraces a number of significant prehistorical sites such as Tepe Ozbaki, which has yielded cultural relics dating from the first half of the 7th millennium to the first half of the first millennium BC, i.e. the Medes period.

Ozbaki archaeological zone, also called Ozbaki Tappeh or Uzbaki Teppeh, is situated near Nazarabad, some 80 km west of Tehran.

According to the available data, the first well-documented evidence of human habitation on the Iranian Plateau was found in several excavated caves and rock shelters, located mainly in the Zagros Mountains of western Iran, dating to the Middle Palaeolithic or Mousterian period (c. 100,000 BC).

From the Caspian Sea in the north to Baluchestan in the southeast, the Iranian plateau extends for close to 2,000 km. The land encompasses the greater part of Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan west of the Indus River, containing some 3,700,000 square kilometers. Despite being called a “plateau”, it is far from flat but contains several mountain ranges, the highest peak being Damavand in the Alborz mountain range at 5610 m, and the Dasht-e Loot east of Kerman in Central Iran, falling below 300 m.

AM