Archaeologists identified stone mines from the Achaemenid era in the Pasargadae Plain, Fars Province, Iran, which are connected with the historical complex of the city of Pasargadae, the ancient capital of the Achaemenid Empire under Cyrus the Great.

Archaeologists know of two mines in the area that were used in Achaemenid times. They are two mines of white travertine calcareous stones in the Diamond Mountain and the sand stone mines known as Abulverdi. The sites have not been excavated yet. The researchers believe that the stone blocks from the sites were mounted on large chariots with four animals and were transported through Bolaghi and Saadatshahr pass to Pasargadae, where they were cut, formed and polished. The stones from the Abulverdi mine had been used for filling the internal of the walls of Talle Takht and foundations of the palaces and the fountains of the royal garden. Not all stones’ origins were identified yet. For example the researchers need to identify where was the black stone used in the buildings of the Pasargadae complex extracted from.

(after Islamic Republic News Agency)