Mehdi Azarian, director of the Siraf cultural heritage site, announced the beginning of a new round of archeological excavations in the historic port. “These excavations have been started with the cooperation of the University of Tehran and the license of the Archaeological Research Institute of the country since the beginning of June this year,” Azarian stated. The ancient port of Siraf is one of the oldest ports in the Persian Gulf, and played a significant role in trade and commerce in southern Iran for centuries. Much has been written about this port in historical texts.
This ancient port was first formally excavated by archaeologists before the Islamic Revolution for six seasons between 1966 and 1973 by a joint Anglo-Iranian delegation led by the late Professor David Whitehouse and representatives of the Archaeological Center of Iran. During that period, the team uncovered well-preserved architecture and several million objects dating back to the ninth century AD. After the revolution, a new round of excavations was carried out in 2009.
The director of the Siraf cultural heritage site has stated that new excavations will be carried out for 45 days with the aim of further understanding maritime trade and the state of the Sassanids in the historical port of Siraf, as Siraf was Iran’s most important port during the Sassanid period. It bears abundant evidence of Persian mastership and genius in seafaring, international relations, and interactions with other cultures and civilizations near and far.
