Ramin (not his real name) has worked in Iran’s tourism industry for years. He has travelled to Khalid Nabi Cemetery on several occasions.

The cemetery site is unrelated to the prophet Khalid Nabi, but got its name due to its proximity to the mausoleum. While experts aren’t certain it is in fact a cemetery, as it’s never been excavated, it seems likely, since there are several smaller cemeteries in Iran that include phallic gravestones.

The sculptures, which are of different sizes and shapes, are each carved from single rocks. There are three different types. First, there are the vertical, cylindrical ones resembling phalluses. Second, there are rounder ones that resemble human breasts. Thirdly, there are animal heads, mainly rams’ heads. Iranian archaeologists believe they mark the burial sites of men, women, and prominent tribal figures, respectively. [Scottish archaeologist David Stronach, an Iran specialist, has provided an alternative theory: he has posited that these sculptures are highly stylized representations of human figures .]

Some archeologists believe this type of sculture was used for women's burials.



A photo of the cemetary taken by our Observer in August 2013. Many of the sculptures that once dotted this hillside have disappeared. The hills' grass is scorched in the summer months.



“Sadly, tourists are not always respectful of the site”

Three years before, me and the tourists I had brought to the site posed for pictures in front of the tallest sculpture, which was nearly three metres high. But in August, it was gone. There are lots of holes that clearly show where the recently-vanished columns were located.