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<< Text Pages >> Kharg Island - Rock Art in Iran

Submitted by Andy B on Saturday, 26 April 2008  Page Views: 7723

Rock ArtSite Name: Kharg Island Alternative Name: Markaz-e Bārgīrī-ye Jazīreh-ye
Country: Iran
NOTE: This site is 197.158 km away from the location you searched for.

Type: Rock Art

Latitude: 29.250000N  Longitude: 50.328610E
Condition:
5Perfect
4Almost Perfect
3Reasonable but with some damage
2Ruined but still recognisable as an ancient site
1Pretty much destroyed, possibly visible as crop marks
0No data.
-1Completely destroyed
no data Ambience:
5Superb
4Good
3Ordinary
2Not Good
1Awful
0No data.
no data Access:
5Can be driven to, probably with disabled access
4Short walk on a footpath
3Requiring a bit more of a walk
2A long walk
1In the middle of nowhere, a nightmare to find
0No data.
no data Accuracy:
5co-ordinates taken by GPS or official recorded co-ordinates
4co-ordinates scaled from a detailed map
3co-ordinates scaled from a bad map
2co-ordinates of the nearest village
1co-ordinates of the nearest town
0no data
1
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Cup and Ring marks / Rock Art in Iran

Discovery of 3000-Years old Board-Games and a Compass-Rose in Persian Gulf’s Kharg Island. An ancient four-pointed compass-rose showing directions of ‘four cardinal points’ and a number of board-games carved on rocks has been discovered in the Iranian island of Kharg in the Persian Gulf, reported Persian service of CHN on Saturday.

The discovery was made by Shahram Eslami, a local and a member of Kharg’s Friends of Cultural Heritage. The relics were studied and their ancient origins identified by Dr Reza Moradi Ghiasabadi.

"The engravings are between 2000 and 3000 years old. The first discovered carving is located beside an ancient road which is a four-pointed compass-rose showing directions of four cardinal points within a square-shape with rounded angles setting, 50x50cm in diameters. Some sections of the compass-rose have been damaged, apparently as the result of a cracks in the rock," said Ghiasabadi.

He added, "the compass-rose's lines have been placed in a position to determine the cardinal points, which have only two degrees of error based on the Global Positioning System (GPS)".

“This is a unique discovery and a great deal of efforts and resources should be made available to safeguard the relic. Also we must not remove it from its original place," emphasised Ghiasabadi.

The remaining carvings which are board-games were discovered in the northwest of the island. The board-games are in a mixture of circular and oblong shape settings, in various diameters, some 4cm and some in 10cm in circumference (see the picture). All these carvings engraved over the rocky-ground’s flat surfaces. These are located on the hinterland at the top of the cliff overlooking the waters of the Persian Gulf.

These game-boards have been carved on the rocks in various settings, which Ghiasabadi have managed to identify seven of them. Some of them could be a proto-type for backgammon.

The Persian Gulf's Iranian island of Kharg is situated at about 30 km northwest of Bandar-e Rig and 52 km northwest of Bushehr. It is the larger and more southerly of two islands (the other being Khargu). Kharg (also Khark) is about 8 km long and, at its widest point, 4 km across. The interior is hilly, terminating in cliffs at the northern and southern ends of the island.

Archaeologists have always believed the oldest settlement on the island dates back to Parthian dynastic era (248 BCE-224 CE), but as the result of a discovery in November 2007 history of the island was re-written, as the archaeologists have discovered an inscription (LINK) executed in Old-Persian cuneiform, dated to the Achaemenid dynasty (550-330 BCE). Since its discovery, the rock-inscription has been left unprotected in its original place at the mercy of looters, vandals, and harsh weather.

Source, with photo: CAIS / CHN

IMPORTANT NOTE: Location given is for the island of Kharg, more accurate data on the location would be appreciated.
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Kharg Island

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Nearby sites listing. In the following links * = Image available
 134.3km ENE 64° Bishapur* Ancient Village or Settlement
 233.0km ENE 72° Gondashlu Stone Quarry Ancient Mine, Quarry or other Industry
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 258.0km ENE 73° Tall-e Bakun* Ancient Village or Settlement
 259.5km ENE 71° Naghsh-e-Rostam* Rock Cut Tomb
 259.9km ENE 72° Naqsh-e Rajab* Rock Art
 260.0km ENE 72° Persepolis* Ancient Palace
 262.3km ENE 71° Estakhr* Ancient Village or Settlement
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 293.5km ENE 68° Tomb of Cyrus* Chambered Tomb
 294.7km ENE 68° Pasargadae* Ancient Palace
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 336.1km S 177° Dilmun Ancient Village or Settlement
 336.5km S 177° Jannusan Barrow Cemetery
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 338.1km S 177° Shakhurah Barrow Cemetery
 341.6km S 178° Janabiyah Barrow Cemetery
 341.8km S 177° Dilmun Monuments and Settlement* Ancient Village or Settlement
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 346.2km S 177° Buri Burial Mounds* Barrow Cemetery
 348.0km S 177° Wadi as-Sail Barrow Cemetery
 348.3km S 177° Karzakkan Barrow Cemetery
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