The Rock Carvings of O-Darasi in Horand County, East Azarbaijan Province

Petroglyphs are one of the cultural-historical works of human societies, which have been relatively comprehensively studied in recent years. The edge of Qarasu and Dareh-roud rivers in Azarbaijan region of Iran is considered as one of the main centers of these works. More than 15 sites with petroglyphs have been identified in this area. According to the archaeological investigations that were carried out in the summer of 2013, several sets of petroglyphs were identified around the area of ​​"O-Daresi" meaning Deer Valley. These petroglyphs have various motifs, including human, animal and symbolic motifs; which are often created by pounding and rarely by scratching on the surface of individual stones. This investigation aimed to evaluate and brief analysis of the petroglyphs in the area of O-Darasi and answer to the questions: 1- What motifs the petroplyphs consist of? 2- To the rock graphics of which areas the motifs of this area are comparable to? The present study was conducted by descriptive analytical method and the data are collected by the means of field and library methods. The results of this study show that the petroglyphs have human, animal and geometrical motifs that have similarities with the motifs of different regions of Iran and Caucasus quantitatively and qualitatively.