Tangeh Bolāghi, also transliterated as ''Tange-ye Bolāghi'' (), or Bolāghi

Gorge A canyon (; archaic British English spelling: ''cañon''), gorge or chasm, is a deep cleft between escarpments or cliffs resulting from weathering and the erosion, erosive activity of a river over geologic time scales. Rivers have a natural tend ...

, is an archaeologically significant valley consisting of 130 ancient settlements, dating back to the period between 5000 BCE and the

Sassanian The Sasanian Empire (), officially Eranshahr ( , "Empire of the Iranian peoples, Iranians"), was an List of monarchs of Iran, Iranian empire that was founded and ruled by the House of Sasan from 224 to 651. Enduring for over four centuries, th ...

dynastic era (224-651 CE). It is situated in

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

's southern province of Fars, some 7 kilometres from

Pasargadae Pasargadae (; ) was the capital of the Achaemenid Empire under Cyrus the Great (559–530 BC), located just north of the town of Madar-e-Soleyman and about to the northeast of the city of Shiraz. It is one of Iran's UNESCO World Heritage Site ...

, Iran. This is the valley of the Polvar River, a tributary to Kor River. Archaeological research since 2005 have discovered a section of the

Royal Road The Royal Road was an ancient highway reorganized and rebuilt for trade by Darius the Great, the Achaemenid emperor, in the 5th century BC. Darius I built the road to facilitate rapid communication on the western part of his large empire from ...

(''Rāh-e Shāhi'' – راه شاهی) connecting Pasargadae to

Persepolis Persepolis (; ; ) was the ceremonial capital of the Achaemenid Empire (). It is situated in the plains of Marvdasht, encircled by the southern Zagros mountains, Fars province of Iran. It is one of the key Iranian cultural heritage sites and ...

Susa Susa ( ) was an ancient city in the lower Zagros Mountains about east of the Tigris, between the Karkheh River, Karkheh and Dez River, Dez Rivers in Iran. One of the most important cities of the Ancient Near East, Susa served as the capital o ...

and other regions of the

Persian Empire The Achaemenid Empire or Achaemenian Empire, also known as the Persian Empire or First Persian Empire (; , , ), was an Iranian empire founded by Cyrus the Great of the Achaemenid dynasty in 550 BC. Based in modern-day Iran, it was the larg ...

up to

Sardis Sardis ( ) or Sardes ( ; Lydian language, Lydian: , romanized: ; ; ) was an ancient city best known as the capital of the Lydian Empire. After the fall of the Lydian Empire, it became the capital of the Achaemenid Empire, Persian Lydia (satrapy) ...

. Excavations have provided

archaeologists Archaeology or archeology is the study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of Artifact (archaeology), artifacts, architecture, biofact (archaeology), biofacts or ecofacts, ...

with a unique insight into the lives of the people living in the

Achaemenid The Achaemenid Empire or Achaemenian Empire, also known as the Persian Empire or First Persian Empire (; , , ), was an Iranian empire founded by Cyrus the Great of the Achaemenid dynasty in 550 BC. Based in modern-day Iran, it was the large ...

dynastic era.

Archaeology

Prior to Sivand Dam being completed in 2007, rescue archaeology was conducted in the area. In May 2005, archaeologists unearthed a complete human skeleton at one of the excavation sites, thought to date back to the

Sassanid The Sasanian Empire (), officially Eranshahr ( , "Empire of the Iranian peoples, Iranians"), was an List of monarchs of Iran, Iranian empire that was founded and ruled by the House of Sasan from 224 to 651. Enduring for over four centuries, th ...

era (224–651). The skeleton, found in a

squatting position Squatting is a versatile List of human positions, posture where the weight of the body is on the feet but the knees and hips are bent. In contrast, sitting involves supporting the weight of the body on the ischial tuberosities of the pelvis, with ...

, is of an adult man. An

earthenware Earthenware is glazed or unglazed Vitrification#Ceramics, nonvitreous pottery that has normally been fired below . Basic earthenware, often called terracotta, absorbs liquids such as water. However, earthenware can be made impervious to liquids ...

item was also found at this site which is considered to be the largest ancient earthenware of its kind ever found in Iran. In April 2006 this find was overshadowed by the discovery of the 7000-years old skeleton of a young woman dating from the Tell-i Bakun Era (the fifth and fourth millennia BC) by a joint Iranian-German team of archaeologists in the same area. The archaeologists further found eight stone beads with the skeleton close to her wrists and neck. "The girl was buried while sleeping on her side and bending her legs with arms under her head like the sleep position of most children", according to the head of the team.Cultural Heritage News Agency, 30 April 2006
''7000-Year-Old Mass Grave Discovered in Bolaghi Gorge''
When the Sivand Dam came into full service in 2007, part of an ancient site including the Achaemenid Shah's Road between

Cyrus Cyrus () is a Persian-language masculine given name. It is historically best known as the name of several List of monarchs of Iran, Persian kings, most notably including Cyrus the Great, who founded the Achaemenid Empire in 550 BC. It remains wid ...

's tomb and

, 130 ancient settlements and a palace ascribed to

Darius the Great Darius I ( ; – 486 BCE), commonly known as Darius the Great, was the third King of Kings of the Achaemenid Empire, reigning from 522 BCE until his death in 486 BCE. He ruled the empire at its territorial peak, when it included much of West A ...

may have been immersed in water from the rising Polvar River. Yet some reports indicated that there was not enough water flow in the river to fill up the dam completely.

Gallery

Image:Skeleton_of_Girl_found_in_Tang-e_Bolaghi_7000_years_old.jpg, Skeleton of a young woman (estimated to have been between 14 and 16 at the time of death) dating from 7000 years ago, excavated in ''Tangeh Bolāghi'' Image:Skeleton_of_Girl_found_in_Tang-e_Bolaghi_7000_years_old_2.jpg, The same as the previous photograph

Notes and references

External links

* ''Pasargadae World Heritage Site'', Pasargadae official website

''Nota bene:'' This domain name seems to have been sold to a commercial company and therefore does not represent the original site. * Cultural Heritage News Agency (CHN)
(''Khabar-gozāri-e Mirās-e Farhangi'' – خبرگزاری میراث فرهنگی)
* CHN
''Archaeological excavations in Bolaghi Gorge — 8 Images''
(with English captions). * CHN
''Archaeological excavations in Bolaghi Gorge — 8 Images''
(with Persian captions). * CHN, 26 April 2006
''Disturbing a 7000-Year-Old Girl’s Nap in Bolaghi Gorge''
* CHN, 30 April 2006
''7000-Year-Old Mass Grave Discovered in Bolaghi Gorge''
* CHN, 15 May 2006
''Palace of Darius the Great Discovered in Bolaghi Gorge''
* CHN, 27 June 2006
''5000-Year-Old Settlement Areas Found in Bolaghi Gorge''
* CHN, 13 August 2006
''Life Goes Back to 10000 Years Ago in Bolaghi Gorge''
* CHN, 30 September 2006
''Looking for the Extent of Wine Production in Bolaghi Gorge''
* CHN, 24 February 2007
''Palace of Darius the Great to be Unearthed in Bolaghi Gorge''
* CHN, 5 March 2007
''Eastern Porch of Darius’ Palace Discovered in Bolaghi Gorge''
* CHN, 14 March 2007
''Wine Production Structures in Bolaghi Gorge are in Danger''
* CHN, 19 March 2007
''Eyes of Achaemenid Statues Found in Bolaghi Gorge''
* CHN, 12 April 2007
''Initial Measures for Sivand Inundation Started''
* CHN, 21 July 2007
''Darius Palace in Bolaghi Gorge to be Restored''
* International Committee to Save the Archaeological Sites of Pasargad
Persian
* Mohammad Sālehi-Zādeh and Negār Sālehi-Zādeh, directors and producers, ''The last screams of Bolāghi Gorge and Pasargadae Plains'' ("''Ākharin Faryād'ha'ye Tang-e ye Bolāghi va Dasht-e Pāsār'gād''"), dedicated to International Committee to Save the Archaeological Sites of Pasargad
YouTube
* ''Persepolis'', Encyclopædia Britannica On-line

* ''Pasargad, Bam registered in World Heritage list'', Payvand, January 7, 2005

*Heritage of the forgotten empire . (This is a link to a commercial Air travelling company – may be removed.)
Sivand
* Deutsches Archäologisches Institut (German Archaeological Institute)

(in English). * Kamyar Abdi, ''Sensationalism vs. Rationalism.'' ''The Sivand Dam: political sensationalism vs. archaeological rationalism'', September 12, 2005

* Ali Mousavi, ''Cyrus can rest in peace.'' ''Pasargadae and rumors about the dangers of Sivand Dam'', September 16, 2005

{{Fars Province Archaeological sites in Iran Architecture in Iran Geography of Fars province