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Sassanid and Islamic sites discovered in the Persian Gulf

Updated: Sep 22, 2023


Archaelogical site of Naqsh-E Rostam, Iran, in Fars province
Archaelogical site of Naqsh-E Rostam, Iran, in Fars province (by Jun Rong Loo)

In the south of Iran, on the Makran coast, archaeologists have discovered Sassanid and Islamic sites dating from the 3rd to the 7th century. These discoveries may lead to a new reflection on the history of the Persian Gulf.


Archaeologist Abbas Moghaddam recently told ILNA that his team has identified several coastal cities in the Makran. These are in addition to the 11 prehistoric sites recently discovered in the region and dating from the fifth millennium BC.


These ancient Sassanid and Islamic cities allow us to determine with greater precision the history of this region, which has long been neglected by historians. According to Moghaddam, they would testify in particular to the end of the Sassanid era and the beginning of the Islamic period.


From 224 to 651 A.D., the Sassanids extended their empire from Mesopotamia to the Indus River, including present-day Iran, Iraq, Armenia, the southern Caucasus, southwestern Central Asia and western Afghanistan. The longest lasting Persian dynasty, it succeeded the Parthian Empire and established its power alongside its rival, the Roman Empire. In 651, the Islamic conquest put an end to the Sassanid Empire, after two decades of anarchy on the territory.


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