Ancient Area with 10,000 Stone Carvings Discovered in Iran

Ancient Area in Meshginshahr, a new ancient site with about 10,000 historical stone carvings has been discovered in the Iranian city of Meshginshahr in the northwestern province of Ardabil. Meshginshahr Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts Department announced the discovery of this place in the plains of this city and said: so far, 15 areas have been identified with stone carvings.

Head of the department, Imanali Imani said on Wednesday that in the plains of Meshginshahr, there is a treasure trove of art belonging to thousands of years ago.  “This is an example of the oldest human habitat that helps us to see the evolution of human life since thousands of years ago,” he added.

He underlined that with the efforts and follow-ups of his department, the new regions of stone carvings have been identified and their files are being prepared for registration in the national heritage list.

“The petroglyphs, which are the best tools to decrypt the pre-historic era, are among the oldest documents of ancient human life and a manifestation of their society, culture, art, knowledge, and ecology, as well as environmental performances, customs, beliefs, myths, dreams, prayers, hunting scenes and battles.” He stated that the images on the ancient stones indicate the period when humans turned to the first tools of hunting and taming animals, and then agriculture and planting.

Meshginshahr is located 90 km northwest of Ardabil with dozens of ancient monuments. The historical site of Yeri city with dozens of stone statues belonging to eight thousand years ago is located in this city. The historical site of Yeri belongs to eras of the middle Paleolithic, bronze, and iron ages, during which life began in this region about 8,000 years ago.