Two tombs carved out of rock were recently discovered at the Qal’eh Kuchak mound by the team of archaeologists working at the Jiroft ancient site (Iran). The team began the fifth phase of excavations of Jiroft, which is located in the Halil-Rud River cultural area, in late October. Due to their magnificent structure, the archaeologists believe they may be the tombs of kings who ruled the region.
     "The ancient inhabitants of the region constructed a place like an orthogonal room measuring 2.5x2.5 meters. The place has some stairs leading to two cave-like tombs," team director Yusef Majidzadeh said. "Carving such tombs in the heart of rock is a difficult task. Thus, we believe they may be the tombs of kings who ruled the region. The tombs have very remarkable and beautiful architecture and require a comprehensive study," he added.
     The team has found human hand bones scattered in one of the tombs. Majidzadeh said that the tombs may have been looted in ancient times. In this phase of the excavations of Jiroft, the team is also scheduled to excavate southern and northern Konar-Sandal as well as the ancient cemetery near Matutabad. Since 2002, four excavation seasons have been carried out at the Jiroft site under the supervision of Majidzadeh, leading to the discovery of a ziggurat made of more than four million mud bricks dating back to about 2200 BCE.
  
Source: Mehr News (12 November 2006)