Iran has banned mining at the home of its world renowned salt mummies in a bid to protect the historical area northwest of the country.

The Ministry of Industries and Mines has cancelled the mining permit for the Chehrabad Salt Mine; industrial authorities have also informed the mine owners that any actions on their behalf are as of now prohibited in the area.

The area will become a scientific and archeological research center.

The Chehrabad Salt Mine is located in the Hamzehlou region of Zanjan province in northwestern Iran. The salt men, also known as Iranian salt mummies, were accidentally discovered by miners in 1993.

Three of the salt men date back to the Parthian (247 BCE-224 CE) and the Sassanid (224-651 CE) eras, while all other human remains discovered at the site go back to the Achaemenid Dynasty (550-330 BCE).

Historical relics have been discovered alongside the skeletons, including leather shoes, a leather bag, a terracotta lamp and two cow horns, most of which remain intact.

Salt at the mine worked to preserve the artifacts, as well as internal organs of the salt men themselves such as the stomach and colon. Fingernails and hair have also been found undamaged, which will enable scientific testing to be carried out that could reveal further clues about these ancient people.

NAT/CW/AA