Breathing life into a 6,000-year-old instrument: the Chogha Mish harp project

TEHRAN - For more than two decades, Iranian musician, instrument maker, and researcher Abdolali Bagherinejad has pursued an ambitious goal: reviving the sound of a harp that fell silent over 6,000 years ago. The celebrated curved harp has been reconstructed through meticulous study of ancient visual evidence from the archaeological site of Chogha Mish, near Dezful in southwestern Iran's Khuzestan province.

Iranian prehistorian elected to International Academy of Prehistory and Protohistory

TEHRAN – Iranian archaeologist Fereidoun Biglari, deputy director of the National Museum of Iran and head of its Paleolithic Department, has been elected a Full Member of the International Academy of Prehistory and Protohistory (AIPP), becoming the first Iranian scholar to receive this distinction.

New hall and ritual offering tables unearthed at Vigol fire temple site

TEHRAN – Archaeologists working at the ancient Vigol archaeological site in central Iran have discovered a new hall and the remains of ritual offering tables during the third season of excavations at the site, a cultural heritage official said on Monday.

Protection boundaries approved for eight historical sites in Khuzestan province

TEHRAN – Iran’s Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts has approved protection boundaries and preservation regulations for eight historical and archaeological sites in the southwestern province of Khuzestan, the provincial tourism chief said on Monday.

Gav Bast Mountain’s 8,000-year-old artifacts on display in National Museum

TEHRAN - Gav Bast Mountain, with its 8,000-year history of human occupation, stands as a testament to the deep archaeological significance of Iran’s southern landscapes, a fact now highlighted in a major new virtual exhibition at the National Museum of Iran.

Iranian researchers uncover likely image of last Sasanian king

TEHRAN - Researchers from University of Tehran have identified what they believe may be the last known portrait of Yazdegerd III, the final king of the Sasanian Empire, following archaeological excavations at the ancient Bazeh Hur fire temple in northeastern Iran, according to a study published in the Italian academic journal East and West.

Study examines four ancient metal smelting sites in central Iran

TEHRAN – A new research project has examined four ancient metal smelting sites in Yazd province, central Iran, shedding light on early metallurgical practices and identifying the types of metals extracted and processed at the locations, researchers said.

Makran Coast: archaeological evidence confirms repeated early human occupations in southeastern Iran

TEHRAN – Archaeologists have uncovered compelling evidence that some of the earliest human ancestors, originally migrating from Africa, not only passed through but also settled and flourished along the southern coast of present-day Iran, specifically within the natural corridor known as the Makran Coast. The findings have been published in the Journal of Sistan and Baluchistan Studies.

Study sheds new light on UNESCO-listed Khorramabad Valley Prehistoric Sites

TEHRAN – A new scientific article on the Chalcolithic and Bronze Age periods in the Khorramabad Valley has been published in the latest issue of the journal of the National Museum of Iran, the head of Lorestan’s Cultural Heritage Department said on Friday.

Museum director commemorates Arfa’i as pioneer of Elamite, Old Babylonian studies

TEHRAN – The head of the museum at Persepolis on Thursday marked the memory of professor Abdolmajid Arfa’i, an Elamite scholar and researcher of ancient Elamite and Akkadian languages, who died on Wednesday at the age of 86 after a period of illness.

Boundary survey commenced around Asirabad historical mound in Saveh

TEHRAN – A team of archaeologists and cultural heritage experts has begun a field survey to propose a protective buffer zone for the Asirabad historical mound, which is located in the southeastern part of Saveh, a local official said on Tuesday.

Khalid Nabi cemetery blends archaeology and pilgrimage

TEHRAN – Surrounded by vast skies, green hills in spring, and golden grasses in late summer, Khalid Nabi Cemetery stands as one of northern Iran’s most distinctive heritage destinations. It embodies a convergence of myth, memory, landscape, and identity—where pilgrimage, archaeology, and tourism meet on a remote mountain ridge overlooking Turkmen Sahra.

17th-century Chehel Sotoun Palace fully reopens to visitors

TEHRAN – All sections of Isfahan’s Chehel Sotoun Palace, including the room known as Chaharshanbeh Suri and the Stone Museum, have been reopened to the public, the site’s director said on Wednesday.

Iran’s Neolithic communities excelled in antler craft, research shows

TEHRAN - A recent archaeological study published in the journal Anthropozoologica sheds new light on the sophisticated craftsmanship and resource strategies of early human societies on the Iranian Plateau.

Work on Xerxes I tomb at Naqsh-e Rostam nears completion

TEHRAN – Restoration work on the rock-cut tomb of Achaemenid king Xerxes I is nearing completion after years of conservation efforts, a local official has said.

Qasr-e Shirin needs decades of archaeological work, heritage official says

TEHRAN - Iran’s western county of Qasr-e Shirin requires up to a century of archaeological research due to the number of historical sites dating back to the Sassanid period, a senior provincial heritage official said on Tuesday.

Birjand historic core set for first archaeological excavation

TEHRAN – Iran’s Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts Ministry plans to launch the first archaeological excavation in the historic urban fabric of Birjand, the capital of South Khorasan province, to study underground layers and prepare the ground for an open-air museum, a provincial official said on Sunday.

Heritage sites in Fars province to be monitored by drones

TEHRAN – Fars’ cultural heritage department is set to use drones and electronic monitoring systems to oversee nationally and globally registered heritage sites scattered across the southern Iranian province.

National Museum to host Symposium of Iranian Archaeology

TEHRAN – The 23rd Symposium of Iranian Archaeology is set to be held from Jan. 26 to 28 at the National Museum of Iran in downtown Tehran, organizers said.

Archaeological studies begin at Qaleh Goli mound in western Iran

TEHRAN - Archaeological studies have begun at the ancient Qaleh Goli mound in Khanmirza county in Iran’s Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province, the provincial cultural heritage authority said.

Prehistoric discoveries at Falak-ol-Aflak castle strengthen UNESCO bid

KHORRAMABAD – A major archaeological campaign at the historic mound of Falak-ol-Aflak castle has uncovered important evidence that rewrites the site's history, significantly strengthening Iran's proposal for its expansion on the UNESCO World Heritage list.

By Afshin Majlesi

Shushtar residents call for UNESCO listing of historical urban fabric

SHUSHTAR (Khuzestan province) - Residents of the historic city of Shushtar in Iran’s southwestern Khuzestan province have launched a public campaign calling for the inscription of the city’s historical urban fabric on UNESCO’s World Heritage List, citing its cultural, architectural and living heritage value.