Tchogha Zanbil burial ritual to be revived

Iranian cultural officials have planned to renovate an ancient Elamite tomb in a bid to introduce the traditional royal burial ritual in the country.

Located in world recognized heritage Tchogha Zanbil, the renovated tomb belongs to the Elamite era, whose emergence of written records goes back to around 3000 BC also parallels Mesopotamian history.

“A ten-year management program has been planned for restoration and preservation of the site and clay artifacts in the property,” said Mohammad Hassan Talebian, Director of the World Heritage property of Tchogha Zanbil.

“The program aims to make people familiar with the ancient architectural structures of the site. Such initiatives are a part of a plan to preserve a world recognized property,” Talebian added.

Tchogha Zanbil was registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979. The ruins of the holy city of the Kingdom of Elam, surrounded by three huge concentric walls, are found at Tchogha Zanbil.

Founded in 1250 BC, the city remained unfinished after it was invaded by Ashurbanipal, as shown by the thousands of unused bricks left at the site.