TEHRAN -- A new season of archaeological
 research is set to begin across the ancient landscapes of Qazvin Province, promising to shed fresh light on one of the earliest centers of human settlement in Iran’s central plateau. 
According to Muhammadreza Asgari, head of the Archaeology Department at the Qazvin Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts Office, several major excavation projects are currently underway or about to commence—each aimed at reconstructing different chapters of the region’s deep past.
At the forefront stands the excavation of Ebrahimabad Tepe in Abyek, a prehistoric mound now entering its second season under the direction of Dr. Hasan Fazeli from the University of Tehran. The project seeks to explore the evolution of early village life and architectural traditions in the sixth millennium BCE, reconstruct the agricultural history of central Iran through archaeobotanical and archaeozoological studies, and examine ritual and belief systems of Neolithic and Chalcolithic communities.
In the Takestan region, Kondor Tepe will soon undergo excavation directed by Dr. Mojgan Moradi, focusing first on defining its legal boundaries before moving toward full stratigraphic exploration in subsequent seasons. Simultaneously, Qostinlar Tepe, led by Kambiz Kabiri, is being investigated as part of its nomination process for the UNESCO World Heritage list.
Among the season’s highlights is the sixth phase of work at Qaleh Kord Cave, jointly supervised by Dr. Hamed Vahdati-Nasab and Milad Hashemi. Discoveries there include evidence of Neanderthal occupation dating back 400,000 to 450,000 years, with recent studies hinting at even earlier phases of human presence.
Other key projects include the Shakin Mine, directed by Dr. Iman Mostafapour of Shahid Beheshti University, which focuses on sampling prehistoric mining activities that continued into historical times; Meshkin Tepe, where excavations by Dr. Hamid Amanollahi and Dr. Muhammad Esmaeil Esmaeili Jelodar have defined site boundaries and trained new archaeologists; and the Lotfali Khan site in Avaj, where Bronze Age cultural layers were identified beneath modern residential areas.
Funding for these endeavors—ranging from 350 to 800 million tomans—has largely come from provincial allocations. Yet, Asgari notes that persistent threats remain, including widespread illegal excavations and limited resources for site protection and enforcement.