Shahr-e Sukhteh

 excavation, ancient civilization, UNESCO World Heritage Site, bronze age

Shahr-e Sūkhté (Persian: شهر سوخته‎‎, meaning "[The] Burnt City"), also spelled as Shahr-e Sukhteh and Shahr-i Shōkhta, is an archaeological site of a sizable Bronze Age urban settlement, associated with the Jiroft culture. It is located in Sistan and Baluchistan Province, the southeastern part of Iran, on the bank of the Helmand River, near the Zahedan-Zabol road. In July 2014 it was placed on the World Heritage List of UNESCO.[1]

The reasons for the unexpected rise and fall of the Burnt City are still wrapped in mystery. Artifacts recovered from the city demonstrate a peculiar incongruity with nearby civilizations of the time and it has been speculated that Shahr-e-Sookhteh might ultimately provide concrete evidence of a civilization east of prehistoric Persia that was independent of ancient Mesopotamia.

Covering an area of 151 hectares, Shahr-e Sukhteh was one of the world’s largest cities at the dawn of the urban era. In the western part of the site is a vast graveyard, measuring 25 hk.s. It contains between 25,000 to 40,000 ancient graves.[2]

The settlement appeared around 3200 BC. The city had four stages of civilization and was burnt down three times before being abandoned in 1800 BC.

Reproduction of drawing on a pottery vessel found in Shahr-e Sookhteh

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Vase_animation.svg

Animation of drawing on a pottery vessel found in Shahr-e Sookhteh, now in the National Museum of Iran.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Vase_animation.gif
Shahr-e Sūkhté (Persian: شهر سوخته‎, meaning "[The] Burnt City"), is an archaeological site of a sizable Bronze Age urban settlement, associated with the Jiroft culture. In July 2014 it was placed on the World Heritage List of UNESCO.
poto :
www.gallery.mehremihan.ir/gallery/category/120-shahrsoo...

site :

www.archatlas.dept.shef.ac.uk/SitesFromSatellites/sites...