Before the establishment of the World Heritage Base of Tchogha Zanbil, scattered and charitable efforts for preservation and restoration were made at Tchogha Zanbil and Haft Tappeh, but, as these efforts did not have enough scientific backup, they could not be sufficiently fruitful. Thus, integrating local experiences with modern scientific methods for better preservation is one of the Tchogha Zanbil Base’s main goals, which can finally culminate in higher visit rates. That said, the laboratory of material research was founded and began to work at Haft Tappeh Museum in 2000 with the purpose of conducting specialized studies on clay materials and its preservation.
When opening the lab, we attempted to equip it with modern preservation tools and equipment so that the majority of studies and fundamental tests could be done in the very lab and boost research capacity of preservation and restoration.
With the support of the lab, extensive studies have been carried out on fabric and materials applied at Tchogha Zanbil and Haft Tappeh sites, materials’ (chemical) damaging agents, geological samples with the aim of knowing convenient raw material for reconstruction as well as their quality control, and ultimately sites’ finds. As a matter of fact, the lab supports every stage of study and execution in the whole complex. For the time being, the lab is trying to acquire an appropriate method for a long-term preservation at Tchogh Zanbil World Heritage Site by designing and executing projects for optimizing fabrics and materials.
The laboratory of Tchogh Zanbil World Heritage Base, as in the past, is capable of collaborations with university students and providing scientific relations, research programs and lab services for other cultural-heritage centers and bases. In the future, the lab will be able to conduct research projects with the purpose of preservation and restoration, run short domestic and foreign training courses, and holding intermittent specialized conferences and seminars.