The second conference on the ancient culture and civilization of Talesh, a city in the northern province of Gilan is being held.

Scheduled for May 3-4, the conference aims at highlighting the relics discovered during archaeological excavations and also the results of recent studies carried out on the old culture and civilization of the area.

Participating in the conference were the Head of Iran's Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts Organization Esfandyar Rahim-Masha'i, the Governor of Gilan and a number of officials.

Talesh is one of the most important historical sites of Iran. Talesh cemetery is 350 hectares (the same as Tehran's cemetery) and the different kinds of graves there, from the first millennium before the Christ to Parthian times, suggest the continual life in this region throughout ages.

Recent excavations in this ancient site have also confirmed the existence of a social caste system in this Iron Age II (1000-586 BC) region.

ST/SF/IS