21 November 2024 The Future is the Product of the Past

7500-year-old cursed city of Iran

Sialk Hills, located in the southwestern part of Kashan city in Iran, was known among the locals as a ‘cursed city’ where people were afraid to approach. Before a severe flood led to the discovery of Sialk Hills, no one dared to approach this terrifying location.

Thanks to the flood of 1930, the story of the Sialk Hills, dating back 7500 years to the Achaemenid Period, was also revealed. “Teppe Sialk” (In Persian, Tappe means “hill” or “mound”)

In reality, this structure is a ziggurat, a rectangular stepped tower that occasionally has a temple on top and is made primarily of clay; it is possible that calling it “hills” would not be accurate.

It is claimed to be the world’s oldest ziggurat, dating to the 3rd millennium BC, tucked away in the suburbs of the city of Kashan, in central Iran, close to Fin Garden.

After flood, a colossal number of ancient artifacts and tools like potteries were found at the surface.

“Teppe Sialk” (In Persian, Tappe means “hill” or “mound”)

After a while, a group of European archaeologists led by Dr. Ghrishman of the Louvre Museum traveled to Iran for the first time to excavate this site. All of the excavations took time, and their findings were eventually published in two books. Unfortunately, despite all of that team’s hard work and the amazing results of their findings, the government ignored the significance of this site until 2001.

The artifacts unearthed here eventually found their way to museums like The Louvre, The British Museum, The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, and private collectors, much like the tens of thousands of other Iranian historical sites.

Fortunately, in 2001, Dr. Malek Shahmirzadi began new excavations on this site; they took some serious measures to ensure the site and its artifacts’ survival.

Economic tablet with numeric signs. The proto-Elamite script in clay, Susa, Uruk period (3200 BC to 2700 BC). Department of Oriental Antiquities, Louvre.

Dr. Ghrishman estimated this civilization dated more than 10,000 years old. He proposes that it has six distinguishing levels in two northern and southern parts.

What remains of this ziggurat is not in a favorable condition like many other ancient ruins in Iran. At the site, there are actually two structures (necropolis) at Sialk situated several hundred feet from each other.

The three platforms of the larger ziggurat however still remain in place. Not much remains of the smaller structure.

The Elamite civilization built four ziggurats, including Sialk. The other three are:

Choqa Zanbil (1250 BC),

Susa Ziggurat (1800 BC), and

Haft Teppeh (1375 BC), all in Khuzestan.

Bridge-spouted jar from Tepe Sialk, circa 800-600 B.C.; buff ware, creamslip, reddish-orange painted decoration. Height: 20 cm. Los Angeles County Museum of Art
Bridge-spouted jar from Tepe Sialk, circa 800-600 B.C.; buff ware, creamslip, reddish-orange painted decoration. Height: 20 cm. Los Angeles County Museum of Art

The Ziggurat at Ur was rebuilt by Saddam Hussein with bricks stamped with his name. Sialk is the 32nd and most recent ziggurat to be discovered.

The Sialk ziggurat has three platforms, and despite being built in 2900 BC, it predates Urnamu’s Ziggurat at Ur, which was built in 2100 BC. The earliest archeological remains of the north mound, however, date back to the middle of the sixth millennium BC, or approximately 7500 years ago. A study conducted in collaboration with Iran’s Cultural Heritage Organization, The Louvre, and the Institute Francais de Recherche en Iran confirms the oldest settlements in Sialk date back to 5500 BC.

It is said that the reason for building this ziggurat was to store a colossal amount of water running nearby. The “Solomon’s Spring” called “Cheshme-ye Soleyman” is the source of bringing water from nearby mountains to the area.

Cover Photo: Apochi

Related Articles

Archaeologists explore Eastern Zhou Dynasty mausoleum in China’s Henan

30 January 2022

30 January 2022

An archaeological survey of a royal mausoleum of the Eastern Zhou Dynasty (770 B.C.-256 B.C.) has been launched in central...

New Museum being Built for the Stolen Goddess Cybele in Western Turkey

12 June 2021

12 June 2021

A marble statue of the Anatolian mother goddess Cybele, which was returned to its native home of Turkey’s Afyonkarahisar will...

400-year historical document confirms the martyrdom of Japanese Christians

27 February 2021

27 February 2021

In Japan, the suppression of Christianity increased from the end of the 16th century to the beginning of the 17th...

Lost 14th Century Church Discovered under a Tennis Court in Hungary

14 May 2024

14 May 2024

During an archaeological excavation in Visegrád, a fortified medieval castle on a hill overlooking the Danube in northern Hungary, the...

A Ribat Mosque shares space with the Roman sanctuary dedicated to Sun and Ocean was discovered in Portugal

2 November 2023

2 November 2023

The ruins of a second Islamic ‘ribat’ mosque dating back to the 11th and 12th centuries have been discovered at...

Archaeologists Discover 8600-year-old Bread at Çatalhöyük May be the Oldest Bread in the World

5 March 2024

5 March 2024

Archaeologists have discovered about 8,600-year-old bread at Çatalhöyük, a Neolithic settlement in central Turkey. Çatalhöyük is noteworthy because it is...

Using Algorithms, Researchers Reassemble Jewish Text Lost Centuries Ago

27 January 2022

27 January 2022

Using new technology, researchers were able to comb a 19th-century text for the original study of a Bible interpretation attributed...

Deer stone discovered in Kyrgyzstan

10 April 2023

10 April 2023

A deer stone was found in the Tarmal-Sai settlement in the Kochkor district of the Naryn region in eastern Kyrgyzstan....

Medieval ship found off the west coast of Sweden

5 February 2022

5 February 2022

A previously undiscovered wreck has been found outside of Fjällbacka on the Swedish west coast. Analysis of wood samples shows...

Complex Of Early Neolithic Monuments Discovered In Herefordshire, England

22 July 2023

22 July 2023

Archaeologists discovered a remarkable complex of early Neolithic monuments while investigating the area around Dorstone Hill in Herefordshire, England. The...

The altar of Zeus Temple discovered in western Turkey

1 September 2023

1 September 2023

Archaeological excavations in the ancient city of Magnesia, located in the western province of Aydın’s Germencik district, have uncovered the...

‘Incredibly Rare’ Roman Mausoleum Unearthed Near London Bridge Station

13 June 2023

13 June 2023

Archaeologists report discovering an “incredibly rare” and featured preserved floors and walls Roman mausoleum near London Bridge Station, UK. Archaeologists...

Archaeologists discovered 22 mummies wrapped in bundles, mainly children and newborns in Peru

7 December 2023

7 December 2023 1

The mummified burials of 22 people, mostly young children and newborn babies, were found in the Peruvian town of Barranca...

3,000-Year-Old Lost Anatolian language ‘Kalašma’ deciphered

5 July 2024

5 July 2024

In 2023 excavation site at the foot of Ambarlikaya in Boğazköy-Hattusha in Turkey, a cuneiform tablet with a previously unknown...

The Gallo-Roman Sanctuary Unearthed in France

30 June 2024

30 June 2024

During a recent archaeological excavation in the old Hôtel Dieu neighborhood of Rennes in north-western France, archaeologists discovered the remains...