Foreign archaeologists return to southern Iran

A group of archaeological experts from Italy will conduct a series of studies in the ancient city of Estakhr, Director of the Iranian Center for Archaeological Research (ICAR) Mahmoud Mir-Eskandari said. "The Italian group will use advanced equipments giving Iranian experts the chance to become acquainted with high-tech tools used in this field," he added. The joint team will excavate the city for 45 days seeking probable signs of early mosques and ancient ruins, said Mir-Eskandari. In an earlier research program, a team of Iranian and Italian experts led by Professor Pierfrancesco Callieri of the University of Bologna studied some parts of the area in 2008. The new team is also planning to study the Sassanid city of Bishpur and several other cities in Fars province, Mir-Eskandari noted. Estakhr is an ancient city located five kilometers north of Persepolis which was a prosperous city during the Achaemenid era.