Tappeh Cheshmeh Ali

Tappeh Cheshmeh-Ali (Cheshmeh-Ali mound) is an archaeological site located next to Cheshmeh Ali and the city wall of Ray in Ray in Iran. So far, artifacts from the late 6th millennium BCE to the Islamic period have been discovered at this site, which is mainly famous for its prehistoric layers. The site is situated at the foot of an outcrop of granite from the Alborz mountain range, overlooking the Ray plain. In the vast archaeological site of Ray, two mounds from the prehistoric period have been identified: one at Cheshmeh Ali and the other, located 300 meters away, at Kuh-e Sorsoreh. The Cheshmeh Ali mound, which is nearly destroyed today, once stood at a height of 7 meters above the surrounding land and covered an area of 3.5 hectares. Archaeological excavations during the first half of the 20th century in the plains of Tehran and Kashan led to the identification of valuable prehistoric sites and artifacts in the central plateau. Some time before this period, a French team, which had visited the famous sites of the Ray plain, briefly mentioned the Cheshmeh Ali mound in their report.^[1]

An aerial photo of Cheshmeh Ali mound in south of Tehran. Explorers and the archaeological team at Teppe Cheshmeh Ali (Cheshmeh Ali mound) in 1936 AD. From book Flights Over Ancient Cities Of Iran by Erich F. Schmidt.

Rey is among the most ancient cities on the central Iranian plateau, with evidence of human habitation dating back more than 8,000 years.^[2]

Erich Schmidt's excavations

The Constitutional Revolution in 1906 and the influence of Iranian nationalists led to the end of the French monopoly on archaeological excavations in Iran and the cancellation of the French agreement in 1912, opening the way for other foreign groups to enter the field of archaeology in Iran. One of these groups was the team of Erich Schmidt, who excavated the Cheshmeh Ali mound in Ray. Erich Schmidt's excavations, with the financial support of the University of Pennsylvania Museum and the Museum of Fine Arts at Boston University, began work at Cheshmeh Ali. Between 1934 and 1936 (1313–1315 in the Iranian calendar), Schmidt and his team, which included 200 workers, excavated the site. Schmidt's research and discoveries led to the uncovering of remains from the Neolithic, Chalcolithic, Parthian, and Islamic periods at the Cheshmeh Ali mound.^[3]

Sialk III period

Archaeologists have discovered a grave containing a skeleton believed to date back to the Sialk III period, approximately 4300 BCE, at the ancient Cheshmeh-Ali mound in Rey, located south of Tehran.^[4]

See also

• Safayieh Garden
• Rey Castle
• Rashkan Castle
• Cheshmeh-Ali (Shahr-e-Rey)

Sources

• General History of Visual Arts, authored by Aliqoli Vaziri, Volume I, page 40
• Iran from the Perspective of Historical Geography, authored by Professor Dr. Reza Ashrafi, page 97
• History of Science in the Realm of Western Asia, authored by Dr. Karim Keshavarz, page 22
• Understanding Ancient Objects (a chapter from Volume III of the reports by former archaeologists of the General Directorate of Archaeology), authored by Ali-Asghar Mostafavi, page 117, document no. 699