ARCHAEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF THE ZAHEDAN-ZABOL GAS TRANSMISSION ROUTE

The Sistan sedimentary plain has been the habitat of various human communities in the past due to its favorable environmental conditions. Therefore, there are many ancient hills and historical monuments in this area. Although this area is one of the important and rich ancient areas in Eastern Iran, there are still many issues and uncertainties about the history of this area, and each of the existing works can answer many of these questions. Therefore, protecting such works against natural and human destructive factors is inevitable. The archaeological survey of the Zahedan-Zabol gas transmission route was carried out to identify the ancient sites on this route and protect them against any damage and destruction. Along the route designed to install the gas pipe, there are many ancient sites and important historical centers such as Shileh, Ramroud, Roud-Biaban, and Shahr-i Sokhta. This survey was conducted with an intensive and step-by-step method to identify and investigate all the sites of this important cultural area and thereby protect them from possible future dangers. In sum, 38 ancient sites and mounds were identified, and surface movable and immovable works, belonging to prehistoric, historical, and Islamic eras, were collected and documented. These cultural materials included 322 pieces of pottery and 157 index objects, all of which were categorized and studied. In this article, the authors try to provide a brief report of this study along with a description of the findings and results.