Sassanid and Parthian artifacts found in Ashraf Hill, Isfahan, are stored in warehouses, and this hill has become a cycling and motor bike track, and a hangout place for buying and selling drugs.
Alireza Jafari Zand, head of the archeological group of Ashraf Hill, gave the above statement and added: “Archeological findings in Isfahan have lost their due importance, which is why Ashraf Hill is neglected even though it is located in the heart of the city.”
According to Ilna’s reporter, during the implementation of the water pipeline project to the east of Isfahan, valuable findings were obtained in the cultural heritage field, which led to the seventh season of exploration in Ashraf Hill. This beginning was enough to bring discoveries from various periods, from the Achaemenids and Seleucids to the Parthian period. It is worth noting that Alireza Jafari Zand, towards the end of the 70s (90s AD), wrote his first book named “Isfahan before Islam”, which drew the people’s attention to Ashraf Hill. Until 1389 (2010) he continued his excavations in this site and in 1399 the 7th season of this excavation was completed.
In addition to finding Sasanian coins and pottery from the third century BC (Seleucid and Parthian), Sasanian stone wells, and Parthian tombs, discovery of the skeleton of a four-year-old horse next to the Parthian graves. Finally, the discovery of the skeleton of a 4-years old horse next to the Parthian graves, and finally, discovery of the skeleton of a Parthian lady and ancient artifacts such as pottery, etc., were among the last of the findings in Ashraf Hill, Isfahan.
Although it has been stated that one-hundredth of Ashraf Hill has been explored and a large part of this area is buried under the street asphalt, it is necessary to continue the explorations. Two years after the last exploration season, so much work is still to be done, but this Hill has been abandoned.
Alireza Jafarizand, head of the archaeological group of Ashraf Hill, said: Despite repeated requests, a permit has yet to be issued to continue the exploration of Ashraf Hill, and the only thing that has been done is to install an insufficient sign next to the site.
He also said about the status of the artifacts explored in the previous seasons of excavations in Ashraf Hill: “All these findings are kept in the province’s cultural heritage warehouses and museums, and research has yet to be done on them. Even the necessary maintenance still needs to be done, and the slats obtained in the explorations are kept in the warehouse as we wrapped and sent them, and no significant work has been done in this regard. This negligence will be harmful over time, but there is no listening ear.”
Jafari Zand pointed out that in the past years, he tried to attract sponsors to start explorations in this area and pay for the excavation. But the director general of Heritage kept on putting obstacles in this way. With all the difficulties that the Heritage Departed counted for the sponsors they preferred to forget the project altogether and leave! Ashraf Hill is located in a place that is easily accessible and the artifacts are all on the street. On the other hand, various institutions keep on digging up the street asphalt on various pretexts. There is also a park nearby that provides access to this area for everyone. Even now, despite the fact that there are numerous artifacts buried under the street, if an institution or organization requests digging license for any purpose, whether plumbing or whatever, the permits are easily issued, because archeological findings in Isfahan are not. considered to be of importance. Ashraf Hill is in the center of the city but is completely ignored.
This archeologist recalled: “The municipality had proposed that it would do various works for this area, from building protection to putting guards, etc., but the former vice governor of Isfahan disagreed with the municipality and even refused to receive financial aid. Therefore, we now see that Ashraf Hill has become a track for cycling, motorcycling, and even selling drugs and attracting the homeless.”
Jafarizand further mentioned the cases that happened last year and said: “Last year, even though we requested many times from the province’s cultural heritage to install the sign, they said they did not have the money. Therefore, we asked the municipality to install a sign introducing Ashraf Hill, which, despite the preparation by the city, was objected to by the heritage, and it was said that they would build it themselves. Ultimately, they spent about 5 million tomans, made and installed a low-quality cement board with a lot of inaccuracy. It also lacks English translation.”
