What was the origin and race of the people of Shahre Soukhteh? From which land did they go to Sistan and lay the foundation of a glorious civilization? What were their rituals and beliefs like, and what signs have remained from them? These are the questions facing every researcher who wants to know the society of the Shahre Soukhteh and the way of life of the people of those days. In this section, we try to find answers to these questions based on the research of archaeologists; however, our knowledge of Shahre Sukhteh sufficient enough to be able to answer all questions accurately.
Archaeologists consider the residents of Shahreh Soukhteh to be immigrants who, many believe, came from what is now called Central Asia. They found this from the similarity of pottery and handicrafts found in Central Asia (in the current country of Turkmenistan) and Shahreh Soukhteh. The way of making and designing pottery is the same and has emerged from the same tradition. The people there had gone to the place we now call Burnt City in Sistan-Baluchistan province. Of course, this is the assumption that archaeologists such as Dr. Mansour Seyedsajadi, who conducted extensive excavations in the Shahre Soukhteh, have told. However, proving it may require more documents and signs. It should also be said that the residents of Shahre Soukhteh were of several ethnic groups, but most were of Indo-Aryan descent.
The surprising thing is that archaeologists know nothing about the rulers of the Shahre Soukhteh! In other words, in the excavations of that city, no place was found that could be assumed to have been the rulers’ headquarters. Does this mean that they did not have an administrative organization and rulership? Kamiyar Abdi and Shadi Ganji, in their research essay about the political and social structure of the Shahre Soukhteh, remind that there is no evidence to prove that Shahre Soukhteh was in the hands of those with power and wealth.
The most surprising thing is that only a few religious signs were found in the Shahre Soukhteh, and the archaeological excavations did not find a shrine or a temple that could be thought to have been a base for performing rituals. Therefore, researchers do not have complete knowledge about the ruling and religious institutions of Shahre Soukhteh. However, the way in which they buried their dead shows that they believed in the world after death. People of this city would put food and working tools of the deceased in their graves, plus other items. An interesting example (as Dr Seyedsajadi mentions) was domestic dogs’ skulls placed in the graves next to the dead. Another noteworthy point is that the people of Shahre Soukhteh buried their dead facing sunlight. This can also be a clue to knowing their religious beliefs.
another point worth mentioning is the people’s belief in reincarnation (rebirth after death). In his research, Dr. Seyedsajadi points out that one of the most widely used signs in the Shahre Soukhteh’s pottery (especially in the cemetery of this city) is the sign of the broken cross. He then writes that this shape can represent “nature’s cycle”. This shows that the people of Shahre Soukhteh believed in immortality of man. They thought that man would be reborn after death, and this cycle would continue. Sajadi then writes: “Therefore, it is possible that they believed in some kind of reincarnation.”
In any case, we will look forward to further excavations and additional research by archaeologists to find a way to the complex and little-known world of the residents of Shahre Soukhteh and find out how they looked at the world around them and what they believed about the world after death.
