Archeologists have discovered the ruins of an Achaemenid city during excavations in the southern city of Nourabad Mamasani in Iran.

The excavations revealed Achaemenid columns and pedestals along with a hall and a marble staircase and vessels belonging to the same period.

The gray columns, more than one meter thick, are very similar to those found in the Persepolis hypostyle hall and the pedestals are decorated with lotus designs and palm-leaf grooves.

The project was a part of the second phase of archeological excavations in Nourabad Mamasani located in Iran's southern Fars Province.

Alireza Asgari from Iran's Archeology Research Center and Daniel Potts from Australia's Sydney University were in charge of the project, which started on Dec. 31st, 2007.

TE/HGH