Archeologists have found over 40 ancient mounds in Iran’s southeastern province of Kerman.

Archeologists from Germany’s Tubingen University and the Iranian Research Center for Cultural Heritage and Tourism discovered 42 ancient mounds near the city of Faryab.

“The mounds are scattered in an area of 8,000 kilometers and date back to the period of time between the pre-Neolithic and Islamic eras,” said head of the Iranian archeology team Nader Alidad-Soleimani.

The mounds were discovered during the first phase of archeological excavations in the area. The project was conducted over the past three months with the aim of studying the cultural exchange between Mesopotamia and the southeastern areas of ancient Persia during the Bronze Age.

Archeologists used drones to take aerial photos, three dimensional pictures and topographic maps of the excavation site.

The next phase of archeological excavations in the area will begin in March 2016.

Germany’s Tubingen University and the Iranian Research Center for Cultural Heritage and Tourism signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in January 2015 to strengthen cooperation on archeology and research.

The two sides also agreed to cooperate in preservation and restoration of archeological sites, holding joint workshops and exhibitions for the next five years.

Iran’s Kerman Province is has a great archeological significance, as it is home to Jiroft archeological site, which once housed one of the most important civilizations in the region.

Excavations have shown that the Jiroft civilization interacted with societies in Mesopotamia, the Indus valley and Central Asia in Early Bronze Age.

Archeological finds show that different civilizations lived in the area during different periods of time in history. Experts say the archeological remains from these civilizations may be traced up to 11 meters under the ground.

TE/HSN