Underground rock-cut architecture unearthed central Iran

EghtesadOnline: During the first excavation season, the underground rock-cut architecture of Tappeh Qaleh was discovered in Robat Aghaj Village in Khomeyn, in Markazi province.

News ID: ۷۷۴۰۹۸

21 February 2017

The Public Relations Office of the Research Institute of Cultural Heritage and Tourism (RICHT) reported, “The architecture indicates that the complex, which dates as back as the Middle Islamic centuries (the sixth and seventh centuries AH) had residential application,” RICHT reported.

The RICHT Public Relations Office quoted the head of the excavation team, Majid Montazer Zohouri, as saying that the rock-cut architecture had been made in a conglomerate ground, some of the architectural evidence of which are observable today, IRNA reported.

He pointed to two main north-south and east-west corridors, saying that the main north-south corridor is approximately 90 meters long and 1.5 meters wide.

He added that the study of parts of the monument was postponed to the next excavation season due to the completion of the excavation period.

“The inhabitants of the rock-cut spaces for their settlement in the area had made rooms on the two sides of the corridors with different sizes and so far seven rooms in the north-south corridor and three rooms in the east-west corridor have been discovered,” he said.

“Except for a room which has cruciform design and was possibly as a public space, the remaining rooms are in different sizes and with square or rectangular pattern and had residential application,” he added.

He said that other findings in the historical area are metal pieces relating to the fastening devices of wooden doors, glass pieces, beads and bone remains that have all been registered.

He noted that archaeological evidences suggest that the complex has a refuge and residential use which, after the mentioned period of time, had been abandoned and part of it, the east-west corridor, had been turned to a place for livestock breeding.