During Chandir Dam Archaeological Salvage Project the ruins of a pilgrimage site of Qajar Dynasty era was discovered. The site is in Raz and Jargalan County, North Khorasan Province, in northeastern Iran.
The news was broken by Ali Akbar Vahdati, the Deputy Head of the provincial office of the Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization of Iran, on Saturday.
The building has been found in an area in the vicinity of Yekkeh So’oud village with a crypt and an octagon hall made of stone bricks, said Mr. Vahdati.
A cemetery of the Paleolithic age, according to the same source, was also excavated in the area at the heights near a valley with a defensive form of military use.
According to the local official, a rudimentary survey of the area has been completed so far and further permissions are needed for conducting complementary projects in the sixth districts of the archeological area.
Pointing to the reasons for the pilgrimage site getting under earth, Mr. Vahdati assured that the issue is under investigation.
Raz and Jargalan County, which is bordered on the north and east by Turkmenistan, on the west by Golestan Province of Iran, and on the south by other counties of North Khorasan Province, is comprised of three districts; Gholaman Rural District, Jargalan Rural District, and Raz Rural District.
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