Tehran, 12 May 2007 (CHN Foreign Desk) – While the project for continuing excavations in Chehr-Abad salt mine has not been approved by Archeology Research Center in year 1386, Iranian calendar, and Iran’s Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization (ICHTO) is determined to preserve this historic mine, owners of the mine are trying to extend their contract with Iran’s Mines and Industries Ministry to get certificate for exploiting salt from the mine. This is while archeologists have succeeded in discovering 5 mummified salt men belonging to Achaemenid and Sassanid dynastic eras in this ancient mine so far and believe that there must have buried some more salt men in the mine which have not been unearthed yet. Resuming salt exploitation from the mine has become the nightmare of salt men who has rested in peace for thousands of years and archeologists who are worried for losing some invaluable information about this historic mine by continuing the salt exploitation.  

 

Owners of Chehr Abad salt mine started their activities since 1992 which posed serious harms to parts of this historic mine. However, following the discovering of the second salt man, their activities were stopped in the parts which were marked off by archeologists. Yet, continuation of salt exploitation would be still destructive. According to Abolfazl Aali, archeologist of Cultural Heritage and Tourism Department of Zanjan province and head of excavation team in Chehr Abad salt mine, the Cultural Heritage and Tourism Department of Zanjan province, paid more than 32,000 US Dollars as compensation to the owners of the mine for stopping their activities.

 

Currently archeologists are trying to convince the owners of the mine and Iran’s Mines and Industries Ministry not to resume the exploiting of salt from this ancient mine through legal department of ICHTO.

 

“If the owners of the mine succeed to extend their contract with Iran’s Mines and Industries Ministry for another 10 years, ICHTO will lost its control over the mine which would result in destroying some important information about this historic site,” said Aali to CHN.        

 

Five mummified salt men dating back to Achaemenid (550-330 BC) and Sassanian (224-651 AD) dynastic eras have been unearthed so far in Chehr Abad mine. The first discovery of salt men and their belongings in Chehr Abad mine of Zanjan province was made accidentally by the miners in 1993. They are among rare mummies discovered around the world that are mummified as a result of natural conditions. What has made these discovered salt men distinguished in the world is that most parts of them have remained almost intact due to have been buried in salt for centuries. Samples of these salt men were sent to Oxford and Cambridge universities to implement genetics studies and DNA analysis.

 

Soudabeh Sadigh

foreigndesk@chn.ir