Shahr-i Sokhta
Shahr-i Sokhta, meaning "the burned city", lies at the intersection of Bronze Age trade routes across the Iranian plateau. The remains of the mud-brick city represent the emergence of the first complex society in eastern Iran. Founded around 3200 BC, the city was inhabited during four major periods until 1800 BC, during which time several distinct areas developed within the city: areas where monuments were built, and separate areas for living, burials, and manufacturing. Watercourse diversions and climate change led to the city's final abandonment in the early second millennium AD. The buildings, cemeteries, and large number of important artifacts unearthed here, as well as their excellent state of preservation due to the dry desert climate, make the site a rich source of information about the emergence of complex societies from 3000 BC and the connections between them.