The mystery surrounding an ancient structure in Mahalat district, has made its name popular. It is called “Khureh”. It is an ancient name from the Avestan language, and its use is a mystery utpo now.
The structure that has signs of ancient history, named Khurheh, is next to a village by the same name, on the northeast of Mahalat district, Markazi province. It is less than 50 kilometers from Mahalat to Khurheh.
The name “Khurheh” needs to be analyzed. This name has its roots in the Avestan language and means “the place where the sun rises”. In that area, places where the nomads settled in summer, were called Khurheh. this name itself is proof of the antiquity of Khurheh and its historic remains that take us to our ancient history.
In the excavations carried out, graves have been found that are of archeological importance. Those two columns (mentioned earlier) have led some researchers to think that Khurheh is a Seleucid structure. This shows that urbanization and civilization of Khurheh was a consistent process. But what type of structure is Khurheh? It is a question with few answers and different opinions about it. Several researchers have considered Khurheh a fire temple and believe to have been built during the Seleucids rule. Others think it is an aristocratic structure left over from the first century BC and consider it a settlement until the end of the Parthian period. We will return to these dates.
Structural features of Khurheh
Khurheh is a structure with many rooms built in the inner part of the building. Outside the structure, there is an area in which only two of its many columns are left. The height of these columns is eight meters. Archaeologists think that in the second half of the 4th lunar century, the number of columns in Khurheh was four.
Important graves have been found in archaeological excavations. The same two columns have led some researchers to think Khurheh is a Seljuk structure. The two columns resemble the Seljuk columned structures influenced by Greek urbanism. However, two external and internal parts make this structure identical to Parthian buildings. In the excavations of the 1970s, the kitchen and warehouse of the structure were also found. During the Sassanid dynasty, Khurheh was also paid attention to. In subsequent periods, it was a valuable structure until it became a place for burying the dead in the 8th century, during the reign of the Ilkhans. Let’s not leave it unsaid that the excavations also suggested that Khurheh was a triple structure. All these speculations have made Khurheh a mysterious structure.
From a historical point of view, it is interesting that Naser al-Din Shah Qajar was the first person to explore Khurheh to find historical burials! While the king’s entourages were digging the land, his photographer took several photos of them, which are now kept in Golestan Palace.
But the scientific excavations were carried out in Khurheh in 1956 AD. Twenty years later, they resumed explorations and made significant findings. The last excavation was in 2005 when relics from the Parthian era were discovered. 5 years later, Khurheh and the area around it were organized of the Khurheh area was also done. Another noteworthy point about Khurheh is its stone inscription, which dates back to the Seljuk period. This inscription is located in the south-west of Khurheh.
In any case, the mystery of Khurheh lies in the fact that historians disagree about its use. We said that some have considered it a fire temple and others a palace-like house. Some other historians have also written that Khurheh was a place for religious celebrations and rituals or a structure for the cemetery next to it! Uncertain knowledge about this structure has formed a mystery around Khurheh.
