Archaeologists found a small village from the second half of the fifth millennium BC (nearly seven thousand years ago) in the oldest area identified in the catchment area of the Chapar Abad dam. Chapar abad dam is to be filled in Tir 1402 (June 2023) and this ancient area will be submerged in the first steps of filling the dam.
According to ISNA, the second season of recovery excavation of the prehistoric site of Chapar Abad (Gargaro Hill) in West Azerbaijan province was carried out. This area, the oldest historical area identified behind Chapar Abad Dam, is related to the transitional phase of two significant prehistoric periods (Dalma and Pizdeli) in the cultural sequence of northwestern Iran.
Hanan Bahranipour, the supervisor of the second season of the salvage excavation of the prehistoric site of Chapar Abad (Gargaro hill) in Oshnavieh, West Azerbaijan, said about the results of the excavations in this area: “The ancient site of Chapar Abad, which is located 8 km southeast of Oshnavieh city, West Azarbaijan province, is the closest site of this ancient area to the construction site of Chapar Abad dam and the distance from it to the crest of the dam is nearly 500 meters, and we confirm with certainty this site will be submerged in the first of the dam’s filling.”
He continued: “During the survey and identification program Chapar abad hill was named gargaro hil with code No. CHD03, in the survey and identification program, but based on the cultural heritage documents of West Azerbaijan Province and the words of the residents, it is known as Chapar Abad Hill.”
The head of the Archaeological Committee of Chaparabad Prehistoric Area considered this area to be the oldest area identified in the Chapar Abad Dam catchment area and about the second season of rescue excavation of Chapar Abad Prehistoric Area, he said: “The first season of the excavation of this area was done in 1400 (2020) and in that season two trenches (trench A and B) and two small boreholes (Boreholes I and II) were excavated in the southern and western parts of the area until virgin soil. In the second season of rescue excavation of the Chapar Abad area, a trench measuring 4 x 6 meters (trench C) was excavated up to virgin soil in the southern part of the area.
He stated that excavation upto the depth of 180 cm was done and ended when a piece of architecture was disclosed in this trench, with a rocky bed, and added: “The results of the excavations in this season show that the location of Chapar Abad was the remains of a small village from the second half of the fifth millennium BC.”
He added: The outstanding feature of this site is that, based on the obtained pottery collection, Chapar Abad is related to the transitional phase of two significant prehistoric periods in the cultural sequence of northwestern Iran, i.e., “Dalma” and “Pizdali” periods.
Bahranian said that before excavation of Chapar Abad, the transitional stage between these two periods were not identified anywhere else. If we do more excavation in this a rea, we can hope to get more knowledge about this previously unknown period in the history of the country’s northwest.
Chapar Abad Dam, according to what the officials of Oshnavieh city and West Azerbaijan province have announced, will be filled by the end of Tir 1402, and according to the head of the Oshnavieh cultural heritage, tourism and Handicrafts department, it is believed that the dam’s water filling will drown 13 historical sites. This is while the results of the archaeologists’ excavations so far show that the history of the historical sites behind the Chapar Abad dam reaches seven thousand years. Archaeologists believe that the findings behind this dam are a turning point for the archeology of Southwest Azerbaijan. If more time is given to us for excavation, more secrets will reveal, and more knowledge will be gained from this area.
