TEHRAN -- A recent archaeological project titled “Test Trenches for Defining the Core and Buffer Zones of the Chogha Archaeological Mound in Gotvand County” has revealed that the ancient site is far more extensive than previously recorded. 
Led by archaeologist Ayyub Soltani, the project was carried out with support from the Khuzestan Provincial Office of Cultural Heritage, Tourism, and Handicrafts, and under license from the Research Institute of Cultural Heritage and Tourism of Iran.
“The aim of this project,” Soltani explained, “is to protect and preserve this invaluable heritage by precisely identifying the mound’s boundaries and preventing urban encroachment.”
Sixteen exploratory trenches were opened as part of the fieldwork, and the results indicate that the actual extent of the Chogha mound significantly exceeds the area outlined in the 2018 survey. 
In addition to trenching, the team also conducted systematic surface surveys, geographic and environmental studies, extensive documentation of architectural and stratigraphic features, and preliminary conservation efforts.
One of the major conservation actions was the removal of more than 1,000 cubic meters of construction debris that had been illegally dumped within the site’s core area. The site, which sits near the Karun River, faces environmental threats such as erosion and flooding. To address this, Soltani’s team is currently developing a comprehensive conservation and site management plan.
Perhaps most compelling are the archaeological finds themselves. Cultural materials recovered from the test trenches span a long chronological range, including artifacts from the Late Susiana period, the Shush D phase, the second and first millennia BCE, as well as Parthian and Sasanian layers. These finds suggest that Chogha was continuously or repeatedly occupied over several millennia.
Of particular interest is the possibility that Chogha may be a key site of the Middle Elamite period. “This hypothesis,” said Soltani, “still needs to be confirmed through sustained, systematic excavation and analysis, but the preliminary indicators are promising.”
Chogha was first listed as a site of national heritage in 1999 (registration number 2322), but until now, it had never been studied in such detail. With its rich stratigraphy and long occupational history, Chogha offers critical insights into the cultural landscape of Khuzestan—a region at the heart of ancient Elam and later imperial systems.