Ilkhan Era residential units in N. eastern Iran

RICHT Public Relations Office quoted head of the eighth season of archeological explorations in the historic City of Belqais in Esfarayen, Ahmad Nik-Goftar Tuesday as saying the houses with the stone foundation structure, adobe walls with plaster covering on the floor and thatched walls with a tiny layer of plaster probably date back to the Ilkhan era.

An architectural structure with brick and mortar materials was among other discoveries of this season of explorations, he added.

The explorations aimed at identifying the structure of the city, developing the museum site for the visitors and completing explorations of previous seasons, he said.

Nik-Goftar considered the City of Esfarayen as one of the most important cities of Neyshabour in the Islamic era and said the ancient City of Esfarayen, known as the City of Belqais, had been located among the trade routes of Neyshabour and Jorjan and had played a significant role in trade and transfer of culture. Today the city stands in a significant point as one of the cultural-historical cities, architecture and urbanism and as one of the most important tourist poles of the province and the country.

9376**1771