Archaeologists unearthed about one hundred historical coins, mostly from the Islamic period, during the second excavation season in the Kamarzarin area that began in August. The finds pointed to Isfahan’s role in the economy of ancient Iran and to a large trading center at Kamarzarin, and researchers said deeper layers were likely to yield more artifacts.
Finds from the current season included a concentration of coins, with 35 discovered in a single day. Most dated to Islamic eras, but exact dates awaited cleaning and laboratory examination. Scholars said the evidence supported the view that Kamarzarin functioned as an important trade center, and the team aimed to clarify Isfahan’s trade and cultural connections during the Islamic period.
The excavations were conducted by a mission from the Archaeological Scientific Research Institute at a site in front of the Kamarzarin Mosque, near the buffer zone of the Jameh Mosque, which is on the UNESCO World Heritage List, according to Rossiyskaya Gazeta. Fieldwork aimed to build a fuller picture of the site’s economic and cultural trajectory across Islamic-era phases.
Two years ago, loader operations for the construction of the Kamarzarin Passage exposed evidence of two historical architectural structures. Construction stopped, and archaeological work began, establishing a multi-season research program.
In the first season, archaeologists uncovered a decorated water structure from before the Mongol invasion of Isfahan, a pottery kiln, an architectural structure from the late Islamic period, stone walls, brick floors probably from the Seljuk period, and a stone basin. These finds set the context for the current season’s numismatic work and extended the site’s sequence from pre-Mongol times into later Islamic periods.
City plans called for converting the first phase of the Kamarzarin Passage into a museum site or open-air museum to present key archaeological findings and data to the public.
The current program sought to situate the coin assemblage within broader urban development, refine the chronology of the finds, and map their distribution across trenches to understand circulation patterns at the site. Researchers also said the work could inform studies of the region’s economic and cultural history and help attract visitors.
Isfahan, on the Zayandeh River 340 kilometers south of Tehran, is known for Islamic architecture from the 11th to 19th centuries, including Imam Square and the Jameh Mosque. It was part of the Elamite Empire, later the Seljuk capital, and a place where Avicenna lived and studied. The present campaign focused on Kamarzarin evidence for intensified Islamic-era trade and a potential hub linking local production, urban consumption, and wider networks.
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