The city is a historical place full of mystery – 2024-04-03 19:03:01

The city is considered one of the prominent historical places in Iran-Azerbaijan. This historical site is located in Meshkinshahr (Khiyov) city of Ardabil province. Research conducted by various archaeologists in the region has not yet fully solved the secrets of the ancient culture dating back 8,000 thousand years.

Located on an area of ​​400 hectares, the City mainly consists of three parts: Gosha Tepe, Military Fort and Mouthless People statue.

The storm that occurred in the area in April 2011 damaged the large statues.

Seven years later, the residents of the area protested against the careless policies of the Iranian authorities regarding the area. This action prompted Iranian officials to take a number of measures to protect this region. The likeness of these statues can be seen in some countries, but the presence of this number of statues in one place shows the importance of this region among the cultures of that time.

The first archaeological work in the city was started in 1947 by the British archaeologist Charles Allen Burney. Burney called this region Arjag Castle. Later, in 2003 and 2005, Iranian archaeologists began research in this historical region.

One of the secrets of the historical region is the 6-meter graves. According to the Iranian archaeologist Alirza Hajbari, these graves made as a result of laying stones and digging the ground are 6 meters long and 1.5-2 meters wide.

The Military Fort and defensive walls, discovered by Burney in 1947, were later investigated by Iranian archaeologists. According to archaeologists’ research, mortar was not used in the construction of this historical fortress, and the construction of the wall was carried out as a result of stacking large and small stones.

What makes this historical region famous is not the 6-meter tombs or the Military Castle, but the chiseled sculptures made of stone, which may have a history of several thousand years. Burney gave the first description of the male and female statues with swords in their hands, measuring from 30 cm to 250 cm. Although he stated that these sculptures belonged to the tombs, later with the new information obtained as a result of research in 2003, this explanation was found to be incorrect.

Calling these statues a miracle, archaeologist Alirza Hajbari says about the statues: “The likeness of these statues can be seen in some countries, but the fact that there are so many statues in one place shows the importance of this region among the cultures of that time. There is one statue similar to these in Azerbaijan and 30 in Turkey, but there are 537 statues in the city.”

“In a 2003 study, 7 passages were found between the statues, and all the statues were arranged on the edges of those passages, the original and the largest passage of these 7 passages was built in front of Savalan mountain, which seems to be a proof that the statues and passages were built with a special purpose,” he said. , added.

According to archaeologists, the changes in the size of these statues show that the social order of the time meant that larger statues were built for people belonging to the elite class.

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