TEHRAN –Iranian police have recently arrested five illegal excavators and antique smugglers in Rudbar county, the northern province of Gilan, CHTN reported on Friday.

The accused people were traced and finally arrested in the historical region of Rostamabad, said Mohammad Alipur, a senior police official in charge of protecting cultural heritage.

Some excavation tools and equipment have been seized from the culprits who were surrendered to the judicial system for further investigation, the official added.

Gilan is well-known for its rich Iron Age cemeteries such as Marlik that have been excavated over the past century. It was once within the sphere of influence of the successive Achaemenian, Seleucid, Parthian, and Sassanid empires that ruled Iran until the 7th century CE. The subsequent Arab conquest of Iran led to the rise of many local dynasties, and Gilan acquired an independent status that continued until 1567.

ABU/MG