Iranian experts have determined that ten mounds located near the 5200-year-old Burnt City were once villages, archaeologist Alireza Khosravi announced. "The discoveries will definitely provide us with useful information on the people living in the villages over the millennia," added Khosravi, the director of the regional research center of the Burnt City in Sistan-Baluchestan Province. The mounds are located near Iran’s border with Afghanistan, southeast of the Burnt City, which is located 57 kilometers from the city of Zabol.
       The Burnt City covers an area of 150 hectares and was one of the world’s largest cities at the dawn of the urban era. It was built circa 3200 BCE and destroyed some time around 2100 BCE. The city had four stages of civilization and was burnt down three times. Since it was not rebuilt after the last time it was burnt down, it has been named the Burnt City.
       Archaeologists have identified about 500 mounds, which they believe are villages which were established around the Burnt City. They plan to add the mounds to the archaeological map of the Burnt City. Although many studies have been carried out on the Burnt City, so far experts have not been able to determine the ethnicity and language of the city’s inhabitants.

Source: MehrNews.com (18 May 2005)