Treasure hunters have targeted the Iron Age cemetery and Urartian cuneiform inscriptions in East Azerbaijan. The cemetery has been ravaged with holes, overturned stones, and the standing stones marking the graves have been severely damaged by smugglers. The ancient cuneiform inscriptions have almost entirely disappeared, prompting archaeologists to describe the situation at the ancient site of Nashtban as “critical.”
According to ISNA, the ancient Nashtban site is located in a village of the same name in Sarab County, East Azerbaijan province. The site contains a fortress, a cemetery with unique features and standing stones, and an Urartian inscription in cuneiform. The site is estimated to be nearly 2,800 years old.
Archaeologists date the Nashtban Urartian cuneiform inscription to the 8th century BC. It was officially registered as part of Iran’s national heritage on April 1, 1968, under number 792. The inscription is carved on a rock, but recent photographs reveal that smugglers have attempted to loot it. Marks from axes and electric drills are clearly visible on the inscription, showing the extent of the damage.
The ancient area of Nashtban features standing megaliths on graves, a rarity in Iran. Among its treasures is a 2,800-year-old stone inscription from the Urartian Empire, written in cuneiform, regarded as one of the most significant written documents in the entire northwest of the country.
Hayan Jabarzadeh, an archaeologist who recently conducted a field survey of Nashtban, provided ISNA with images highlighting the pervasive presence of smugglers and treasure hunters in the area, as well as its neglected condition. He described the cemetery as “special” due to the standing megaliths marking the graves, which is uncommon in Iran. He noted, “In this area, there is a cuneiform inscription dating back 2,800 years from the era of the Urartian Empire, considered one of the most important written documents in all of northwest Iran.”
Regarding the current state of this ancient site, Jabarzadeh stated: “Unfortunately, this area is in very poor condition concerning protection and maintenance, leading to not only weather-related destruction but also significant damage caused by treasure seekers. This activity occurs continuously and daily, with little concern from the authorities for increased protection.”
Jabarzadeh continued: “The cemetery in this area has been almost completely destroyed by illegal excavations, to the extent that parts of the cuneiform inscriptions have been removed, causing the inscriptions to lose their original form. If this situation continues, there may soon be no traces left of this valuable site and historical document.”
He added: “When I visited this area nearly five years ago, the Urartian stone inscription was in much better condition and appeared nearly intact. However, after these five years, it can be said that half of the stone inscription has disappeared, with parts of it now missing. There are also gaps between the inscription and the stone on which it is carved, and the stone itself is tilted, posing a risk of complete collapse and destruction at any time. I hope that officials and supervisors will take the alarming situation of the ancient area of Nashtban seriously.”
Archaeological research indicates that the “Kingdom of Urartu,” also known as the “Kingdom of Van,” was one of the prominent civilizations during the Bronze and Iron Ages, emerging in the 9th century BC in what is now Armenia, eastern Turkey, and northwestern Iran. The kingdom established its political structure through military strength, constructing defensive forts to protect its territorial integrity while excelling in the production of artistic handicrafts, particularly metalwork. However, the Urartian kingdom lasted only about two hundred years and mysteriously vanished from history in the 6th century AD. It was not until the archaeological excavations of the 19th century that this distinguished ancient civilization was rediscovered.
The history of Urartu remains fragmentary due to the scarcity of written evidence, necessitating a reliance on the often-biased accounts of its enemies, particularly the Assyrians. However, the artifacts, architectural remnants, and ongoing excavations at the site have helped reconstruct a more accurate history of Urartu, highlighting the significance and influence of this ancient culture in the region.
It is likely that the state of Urartu was weakened after decades of conflict with Assyria, and the excessive expansion of its borders may have made it challenging to manage and maintain control over the vast territory. The lands once conquered and ruled by Urartian kings ultimately fell into the hands of the Medes around 585 BC, and later came under the control of the Achaemenid Empire, which Cyrus II established in the mid-6th century BC.
Since Urartu was largely unknown to ancient Greek historians, it was not mentioned in their writings, leading to a delay until the 19th century when archaeological excavations finally uncovered the identity of this significant Bronze Age culture.
