As a result of the water release in Charmshir Dam in southwest Iran a large area of a Sassanid-Islamic site will be completely submerged, an Iranian archaeologist has said. 

There is a high potential for answering ambiguous archeological questions of Iran about nomads from different periods in the area surrounding Chamshir Dam, Saeid Amir-Hajilu explained on Saturday. 

Although some 120 ancient sites were identified in the Chamshir Dam area during the initial speculation, rescue excavations have only been conducted at a limited number of these sites, he added. 

A team of archaeologists was given 34 days to complete rescue excavations and documentation during the last excavation project, which is insufficient, he mentioned. 

Earlier this week, Amir-Hajilu said that stone architectural structures, pieces of pottery from the Sassanid era to the Middle Islamic centuries, and stone and glass relics were identified and documented during an archaeological season on the ancient site at the basin of the newly constructed Chamshir Dam. 1

• 1. It seems that the site was a seasonal winter settlement or a resort in the Sassanid period, based on the quality of the architectural structures and the surrounding landscape, he added. Back in July, he announced that the site had been severely destroyed by local farmers. About 70 percent of the archaeological site has been plowed and leveled by farmers, resulting in demolishing many relics buried in this area, he said. “Archaeological excavations have yielded poor results so far due to an extensive level of destruction by farmers.  “However, we have discovered a wide range of relics, including pottery, glass, stone beads, and stone mortars at the site,” he explained.