A Look at the Archaeological Legacy of the Late Esmail Yaghmaei

Esmail Yaghmaei, one of Iran’s most distinguished archaeologists, passed away yesterday, 19 July 2026 (28 Tir 1405 in the Iranian calendar). A brief look at his scholarly and archaeological record is a tribute to his devoted efforts to understand Iran’s ancient past.

The number of archaeological excavations and surveys conducted by the late Esmail Yaghmaei is remarkably rich and admirable. Listing all of his endeavors would be difficult, but even a selection of them shows how deeply we are indebted to his tireless determination to uncover the heritage of our ancestors.

Among his many archaeological projects were:

• Summer 1968 – Joined a survey and test-trenching team in Kermanshah and Kurdistan.
• Autumn 1968 – Participated in excavations at Shahr-e Sukhteh near Zabol.
• Winter 1968 – Excavated Jafarabad Tepe near Susa in Khuzestan.
• Summer 1969 – Excavated Sheikh Tepe near Urmia.
• Spring 1970 – Surveyed the Hendijan region and excavated Tal-e Suz.
• Summer 1970 – Excavated Tal-e Darvazeh in Marvdasht, Fars.
• Autumn 1970 – Excavated the Chenarbashi cemetery in Ilam.
• Summer 1971 – Excavated the Achaemenid palace of Charkhab in Dashtestan.
• Winter 1971 – Excavated the Sasanian palace complex of Bishapur.
• Summer 1972 – Excavated Yahya Tepe in the Soghan Plain, Kerman.
• Summer 1973 – Excavated Godin Tepe in Kangavar.
• Winter 1973 – Excavated Qabristan Tepe and Zagheh Tepe in the Qazvin Plain.
• Winter 1974 – Surveyed the Khuzestan Plain.
• Summer 1975 – Conducted surveys and test trenches in the Qazvin Plain and Hashtgerd.
• Winter 1975 – Surveyed the Iveh Plain in the Bakhtiari region.
• Spring 1976 – Surveyed the Haft Tappeh area of Khuzestan.
• Winter 1976 – Excavated on the slopes of Bibi Shahrbanu Mountain near Rey.
• Autumn 1977 – Excavated the Achaemenid palaces of Sang-e Siah and Bardak Siah in Dashtestan.
• Spring 1979 – Conducted test trenches at Chogha Gavaneh Tepe near Shahabad-e Gharb.
• Summer 1980 – Assessed the condition of Ecbatana (Hegmataneh) in Hamadan.
• Winter 1982 – Excavated the ancient site of Arjan near Behbahan.
• Autumn 1983 – Excavated the Shoghab cemetery in Bushehr.
• Spring 1985 – Excavated Qalaichi Tepe near Bukan.
• Winter 1988 – Excavated Semnan Castle.
• Summer 1990 – Surveyed the Tang-e Takab area near Behbahan.
• Autumn 1993 – Investigated the site of Gatash and Middle Elamite tombs.
• Spring 1995 – Excavated the Mehrkadeh and fire temple of Mohammadabad.
• Summer 2004 – Excavated the Achaemenid palace site of Bardak Siah.
• June 2012 – Conducted archaeological identification and test trenching at Tam Kalat Takht near Bandar Abbas.
• Winter 1980 – Surveyed the Royal Road from Kohgiluyeh to Shiraz.

And many more projects, all reflecting Yaghmaei’s continuous and rigorous scientific inquiry.

Yaghmaei and the Discovery of a Great Achaemenid City on the Persian Gulf

One of Yaghmaei’s most important achievements was the discovery of a large Achaemenid settlement on the coast of the Persian Gulf. A report published in the newspaper Ettela’at on 15 April 1978 described the find:

“A vast city dating to the Achaemenid period is rapidly emerging from the soil along the shores of the Persian Gulf (the Sang-e Siah area near Borazjan). The columns, porticoes, and astonishing halls uncovered so far have left prominent Iranian and foreign archaeologists in awe. According to archaeologists, the discovered Achaemenid palace is comparable in importance to Pasargadae and may indicate the complete dominance of ancient Iranians over the entire Persian Gulf region.”

The report noted that the site, discovered by a team affiliated with the Iranian Center for Archaeological Research under the direction of Esmail Yaghmaei, included a large hall with several porticoes, sixteen massive stone columns, four entrances, spacious courtyards, and broad winding corridors. The excavations also revealed evidence of a substantial ancient Iranian maritime organization.

Yaghmaei’s Notes and Reflections

Yaghmaei was an inveterate note-taker. His writings on archaeological excavations and social issues remain highly readable, and many are preserved on his website. They reveal both his scientific passion and his commitment to informing the public about Iran’s cultural heritage.

“They Broke It to Pieces”

Recalling the excavation at Bishapur in the winter of 1971, he wrote that a large plaster object was found but initially went unidentified. It was left in a corridor of the excavation base. One night, excavation director Ali-Akbar Sarfaraz passed by with a flashlight and suddenly realized that the object was an upside-down plaster statue of the Sasanian king Narseh. When it was turned over, the head of a monumental royal statue became visible.

Yaghmaei was then instructed to investigate the findspot behind the fortification wall of Bishapur. After a week of trenching, only scattered fragments remained. He concluded that the statue had been deliberately smashed long ago, likely during the Arab conquest, making reconstruction impossible.

“Who Is Responsible?”

In another note, Yaghmaei criticized the handling of cultural artifacts. He claimed that when the British Museum loaned the Cyrus Cylinder to Iran, around two hundred valuable museum objects were retained abroad as collateral and never returned. He contrasted this with the earlier loan of the cylinder for the 2,500th anniversary celebrations, when an American insurance company covered the object without requiring collateral. He ended by asking who was responsible for the institutional disorder that had led to so much destruction and loss.

“My Father’s Library”

Yaghmaei also wrote movingly about his father, Habib Yaghmaei, the writer and founder of the literary journal Yaghma. He described his father’s lifelong dedication to Persian language and culture and his efforts to build a library and mausoleum in their hometown of Khur so that local people would continue to have access to books.

According to Yaghmaei, the library later suffered a tragic fate: many rare books were allegedly stolen or pulped, and from a collection of about 2,500 volumes, only a few dozen survived. The building itself fell into ruin and was eventually used as storage for a factory.

A Colleague’s Tribute

While Yaghmaei was hospitalized shortly before his death, archaeologist Jafar Mehrkian, a specialist in Elymaean studies, wrote a heartfelt tribute. He insisted that “Esmail Yaghmaei is alive and must remain so,” and recalled how Yaghmaei’s work at sites such as Rey, Borazjan, Shavor, Hesar, and Arjan had become inseparable from the archaeological record itself.

Mehrkian vividly remembered Yaghmaei weeping at the site of Arjan, overwhelmed by emotion during a return visit years after the excavation. He praised Yaghmaei’s ability to perceive human stories behind ancient burials and artifacts and recalled his efforts to safeguard the gold ornaments from Bardak Siah by placing them temporarily in a bank in Bushehr for protection.

An Enduring Legacy

Esmail Yaghmaei has now been laid to rest, but his generous memory and influential archaeological achievements will endure. We honor his memory and salute his lifelong service to the understanding and preservation of Iran’s ancient heritage.

This article was compiled using the writings and notes of the late Esmail Yaghmaei published on his official website.