Start of the Second Season of Sounding the Ancient Mound of Qaleh Bala in Bijar, Kurdistan

According to Mirath-Aria and quoting the Public Relations of the General Department of Cultural Heritage, Tourism, and Handicrafts of Kurdistan Province, Mohammad Ebrahim Elyasvand said: In order to resolve the problems of the owners of houses around the mound and also for its stratigraphic sounding, the first season of sounding and determination of the area and boundary was carried out in 2019 from the budget of the 2018 planning committee of the county. The head of the Department of Cultural Heritage, Tourism, and Handicrafts of Bijar County stated: Due to the incomplete determination of the area and boundary and not reaching virgin soil in the soundings made for stratigraphic sounding, this project was again put on the agenda after a three-year hiatus. He pointed to the provision of funds for this project in the county's planning committee and added: This season of sounding has started and is underway under the supervision of Hamid Reza Valipour. Elyasvand stated: We hope that in this season, by determining the area and boundary of the mound, we can solve some of the problems of the residential and commercial units around it, and with the completion of the created soundings, the historical and ancient layers of this valuable multi-thousand-year-old artifact will be identified, and the ground will be prepared for future excavations. The Qaleh Bala mound is located in the center of Bijar city and has been registered in the National Heritage List under number 420.