A recently discovered site in Halaj, Mergavar Valley, Iran

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The Mergavar Plain in the west of Orumiyeh, which is surrounded by mountains and hills, is largely an uncharted land, intact and still almost archaeologically unknown in Iran, although it contains many valuable cultural-historical works. In a recent visit by authors to this area, remarkable rock-cut features were identified in the village of Halaj. These monuments include the remains of stone walls, a rock-cut chamber, rockshelters and a number of other features in the bedrock. The study of the rock-cut monuments is important for our comprehension of this architectural phenomenon. In the Orumiyeh Region there is a considerable number of rock-cut works, in places such as Qal’eh Ismail Aqa, Kal Kharabe, Sydk, Qal’eh Takht, Dare Khan, etc. These are mostly of uncertain date (with some exceptions like Kal Kharabe, which is undoubtedly Urartian), although their chronological attribution to Urartian times, and more in general to the Iron Age, cannot be excluded. The site of Halaj presented here is different in some ways from the other complexes already known in the region. Features and possible functions of the site are discussed in the text.