Tangeh Bolāghi, also transliterated asTange-ye Bolāghi[1] (Persian:تنگه بلاغی), orBolāghiGorge, is an archaeologically significant valley consisting of 130 ancient settlements, dating back to the period between 5000 BCE and theSassanian dynastic era (224-651 CE). It is situated inIran's southern province ofFars, some 7 kilometres fromPasargadae, Iran. This is the valley of the Polvar River, a tributary toKor River.
Archaeological research since 2005 have discovered a section of theRoyal Road (Rāh-e Shāhi – راه شاهی) connecting Pasargadae toPersepolis,Susa and other regions of thePersian Empire up toSardis. Excavations have providedarchaeologists with a unique insight into the lives of the people living in theAchaemenid dynastic era.
Prior toSivand Dam being completed in 2007, rescue archaeology was conducted in the area.
In May 2005, archaeologists unearthed a complete human skeleton at one of the excavation sites, thought to date back to theSassanid era (224–651). The skeleton, found in asquatting position, is of an adult man. Anearthenware item was also found at this site which is considered to be the largest ancient earthenware of its kind ever found in Iran. In April 2006 this find was overshadowed by the discovery of the 7000-years old skeleton of a young woman dating from theTell-i Bakun Era (the fifth and fourth millennia BC) by a joint Iranian-German team of archaeologists in the same area. The archaeologists further found eight stone beads with the skeleton close to her wrists and neck. "The girl was buried while sleeping on her side and bending her legs with arms under her head like the sleep position of most children", according to the head of the team.[2][3]
When the Sivand Dam came into full service in 2007, part of an ancient site including the Achaemenid Shah's Road betweenCyrus's tomb andPasargadae, 130 ancient settlements and a palace ascribed toDarius the Great may have been immersed in water from the rising Polvar River. Yet some reports indicated that there was not enough water flow in the river to fill up the dam completely.
Pasargadae World Heritage Site, Pasargadae official website.[1]Nota bene: This domain name seems to have been sold to a commercial company and therefore does not represent the original site.
International Committee to Save the Archaeological Sites of Pasargad:English,Persian.
Mohammad Sālehi-Zādeh and Negār Sālehi-Zādeh, directors and producers,The last screams of Bolāghi Gorge and Pasargadae Plains ("Ākharin Faryād'ha'ye Tang-e ye Bolāghi va Dasht-e Pāsār'gād"), dedicated to International Committee to Save the Archaeological Sites of Pasargad,YouTube.
