Historical shards discovered in Tehran

TEHRAN,April 22(MNA) -- A number of shards were accidentally discovered on Thursday by a student of archaeology in the holes dug by the Tehran Province Water and Wastewater Company (TPWWC) in District 5, northwest of Tehran. “I saw the shards by chance in the historical strata of three holes dug in the area,” Mahsa Vahabi told on Thursday. She said that she left the place after she could not find any relevant people to ask about the holes. But, she saw the shards smashed after she returned a few hours later. “I gathered the shards to be sure about their antiquity,” Vahabi said. Some professors at Vahabi’s university surmised that the shards date back to the Buyid dynasty (945–1055) after they saw photos of the shards. However, pieces of the shards were estimated to date back to the Iron Age. Some of the shards have mono-color glaze and floral engravings. Vahabi has informed the Tehran Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts Department (TCHTHD) about the issue. “The TPWWC was obliged to inform the TCHTHD if they found any artifacts during their excavations, but unfortunately, they did not do so,” TCHTHD Director Mohammad-Hossein Farmahini said. TPWWC has stopped excavations and the TCHTHD has sent a team of archaeologists to the site to examine whether this discovery is historically significant.