TEHRAN – A team of archaeologists has begun a survey to determine the boundaries and propose a protective buffer zone for the ancient site of Surt in Mazandaran province, northern Iran, officials said on Monday.

The project will be supported by the provincial department for cultural heritage, and it has been authorized by Iran’s Research Institute of Cultural Heritage and Tourism, CHTN reported.

The excavation team is led by Saman Sourtiji, assistant professor and faculty member at the Research Institute of Cultural Heritage and Tourism, with the participation of local archaeologists, the Islamic Council, and the village administration of Orost, and the management of the Surt natural springs (better known as Badab-e Surt by the locals) tourism complex.

Preliminary studies show that the site lies along a major historical route linking the ancient settlement of Qusheh (“City of a Hundred Gates”) to the Gorgan plain, containing evidence of successive settlements, Sourtiji said.

Surt is known for its travertine stepped springs with red, cream, and yellow hues, which were inscribed on Iran’s national natural heritage list as the country’s second registered natural site. Surface finds now indicate that the area was also a significant settlement from the Chalcolithic and Bronze Age through the Iron Age, continuing into the 9th and 10th centuries AH (15th–16th centuries CE).

According to Sourtiji, the site covers more than 300 hectares and includes ancient settlement areas and cemeteries. It is bordered by Mount Surt in the north, the colorful travertine springs in the south, and rangelands and foothills to the east and west.

He said the natural features of Surt also make it unique. The springs include a large saline pool of about 500 square meters, smaller slightly acidic and carbonated springs, and another toxic to livestock, alongside an upstream freshwater spring that sustained ancient habitation.

Elsewhere in his remarks, the archaeologist warned that the site faces serious threats from illegal excavations, road construction, and tourism-related development. Implementing this probing program to define the site’s boundaries and propose a legal buffer zone is a necessary step for sustainable protection of this cultural and natural heritage, he said.

The findings will also help clarify the historical significance of the area, paving the way for broader excavations, improved management, and stronger preservation efforts, the archaeologist added.

Sourtiji also called for stronger institutional support to safeguard Surt as a “treasure of Iran’s history and nature” and to prepare it for potential nomination to the UNESCO World Heritage list.

AM