TEHRAN – A team of archaeologists have launched investigations to determine the boundary and proposed a protection buffer zone for the ancient standard zone of the surar in Mazandara, northern Iran’s Mazandara province, officials said Monday.
The project is supported by the province for the state’s cultural heritage and has been approved by the Iranian Cultural Heritage and Tourism Institute, CHTN reported.
The excavation team is led by Saman Sawatij, assistant professor and faculty at the Institute of Cultural Heritage, along with participation from local archaeologists, Islamic Council, the village government of Orost, and the tourism complex of the Management of SURT Natural Springs (Badav-E Surat, known by locals).
According to a preliminary survey, the site follows a major historical route linking the ancient settlement of Qusheh (the “city of 100 gates”) to the Golgan plain and contains evidence of a series of settlements, Sourtiji said.
Surt is known for its travertine stair springs in shades of red, cream and yellow, engraved as the country’s second registered natural site on Iran’s National Natural Heritage list. The surface shows that the region is also an important reconciliation that now runs from the Iron Age to the Bronze Age to the 9th and 10th Centuries (A.S. 15th-16th Century).
According to Sourtiji, the site covers over 300 hectares and includes ancient settlement areas and cemeteries. It is adjacent to Mount Surt to the north, to the colorful travertine springs to the south, and to the east and west streets and hills.
He said that Surt’s natural features also make it unique. The springs are toxic to livestock alongside large saline of about 500 square meters, slightly acidic carbonated and carbonated springs, and upstream freshwater springs that maintained ancient settlements.
Elsewhere in his remarks, archaeologists warned that the site faced serious threats from illegal excavations, road construction and tourism-related developments. Implementing the research program, defining site boundaries and proposing legal buffer zones, he said, is a necessary step to sustainable conservation of this cultural and natural heritage.
The findings also help to clarify the historical significance of the region, paving the path to wider excavations, improved management and stronger conservation efforts, archaeologists added.
Sourtiji called for stronger institutional support to protect Surt as a “treasure of Iran’s history and nature” and was asked to be prepared for a potential nomination on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
morning