From the Tehran Times: Parthian era subterranean village discovered near Maragheh.
Posted on December 31, 2004 10:55 AM. Filed under: history & archaeology.Iranian archaeologists have discovered a Parthian era village under the earth near the Mehr Temple of the northwestern city of Maragheh, the director of the Maragheh Cultural Heritage and Tourism Department said on Wednesday.
"Since the Mehr Temple is one of the little known sites of Iran, our team planned to carry out some excavations around it to ascertain some details about the temple. The excavations resulted in the discovery of an underground village which archaeologists believe dates back to the Parthian era," Nasser Zavvari added.
The Mehr Temple, which was constructed in the Parthian era (247 B.C. - 224 C.E.), is located 65 kilometers from the city of Maragheh in East Azarbaijan Province. It was one of the main temples of the religion of Mithraism in ancient Iran.
The village is located at a depth of one meter below ground level and some holes were used as entrances into the underground community, he said. [continue]