TEHRAN -- A valuable stone inscription dating to the Ilkhanid period has been discovered during restoration work at the eastern entrance of the Jameh Mosque of Nimvar in Markazi Province, Iranian officials have announced.
Mehdi Laalbar, head of the Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts Department of Mahallat County, said the inscription was uncovered during restoration work and is considered particularly significant for historical and scholarly research.
The inscription, measuring approximately 85 by 34 centimeters and 10 centimeters thick, is carved on white travertine and bears eight lines of engraved writing, according to the official.
Initial examination suggests that the stone may be a waqf inscription, although its precise content and nature will require further examination by specialists and researchers in epigraphy.
The date inscribed on the stone corresponds to 764 AH, or 742 in the Solar Hijri calendar, placing the artifact in the Ilkhanid period, which followed the Mongol conquest of Iran and encompassed much of the 13th and 14th centuries.
The inscription has been transferred to the Nimvar Municipal Museum in cooperation with the trustees of the Jameh Mosque and Nimvar Municipality, where it will be protected from potential damage and made available
 for further study and documentation.
Laalbar said the discovery, alongside other surviving Ilkhanid-period monuments in Nimvar, points to the city’s importance and prosperity during the Ilkhanid era and could provide researchers with valuable evidence about its historical, cultural, religious and architectural development.
Nimvar, a city in Mahallat County of Markazi Province, has a much older historical record, with archaeological and architectural remains linking the settlement to ancient periods including the Sasanian era. Its Atashkuh Fire Temple, for example, is recognized as an important Sasanian monument in the region.
Laalbar also stressed that protecting historical objects uncovered during construction and restoration projects requires the cooperation and vigilance of public institutions and local communities, describing every archaeological discovery as a valuable document for understanding the cultural identity and history of a region.