Tehran – The ancient underground hand-carved complex in Samen district of Malaya County is officially registered on Iran’s national heritage list, authorities said.
The site, named Dastkand-e Anuj, is adjacent to an archaeological mound known as Qal’eh Bolandeh, on the eastern edge of Anuj village. It is considered one of the most distinctive hand-carved underground structures identified in the area, characterized by a complex network of chambers, holes and connection corridors.
The village of Anuj is located at the southern tip of the Saman Plain along the route that connects Malaeaa with Nahavand and Borgeld. The region is known as one of the richest archaeological belts in Iran’s West Hamedan province. The nearby Qal’eh Bolandeh Mound, dating back to the 5th century BC and the 6th millennium, was already listed as a national heritage site.
The underground architecture is carved into relatively soft limestone and contains historical layers from the first millennium BC to the Islamic period, based on ceramic fragments, human remains and structural evidence. Archaeologists believe that parts of the complex were used for food storage and burial based on the shape and function of the artifacts discovered.
According to the IRNA, 750 million rials (approximately $850,000) were allocated from state funds for documents, boundary boundaries and registered officials in 2023, citing the Public Relations Office of Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Malaea Tourism. The project was carried out in collaboration with the research department of Bu-Ali Sina University.
Dustkand architecture, also known as hand-carved architecture, refers to structures created by digging and shaping natural formations primarily in Iran and other Foothill regions. This is a unique architectural form that often uses the Earth itself as a building material, without using the materials that are made. The Persian term dustkand leads to “hand digging” and emphasizes the manual process involved in its construction.
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