Dahaneh-ye Gholaman

Dahaneh-ye Gholaman is an ancient and historical city located two kilometers away from the villages of Deh Rostam and Qaleh No, and 42 kilometers from Zabol city in Sistan and Baluchestan province, Iran.

The remains of this historical city can be observed in an approximately four to five-kilometer area. It was discovered by Italian archaeologists in 1960 and excavated from 1962 to 1965.

Dahaneh-ye Gholaman consists of large public buildings, temples, residential neighborhoods, streets, waterways, and military and industrial neighborhoods. This city is the only Hellenistic archaeological site that demonstrates Iranian rule over the eastern regions effectively.

The city was initially identified in 1960 and was excavated from 1965 to 1966. It flourished near the dry river of Rud-e Biaban and the branches of the Helmand River.

The buildings and structures of the city are entirely made of clay, with a regular square or rectangular layout and numerous columns. The roofs are predominantly domed, which is rare for the Achaemenid period. A water channel divides the city into two northern and southern parts, with the northern section likely belonging to the city's elite, while the southern section was inhabited by ordinary people.

The design of the entrance gates and windows took into account the strong winds of Sistan. The prominent feature of this city is the people's attention to religion and the performance of specific religious rituals, leading many to refer to it as the Temple of Dahaneh-ye Gholaman.

Some historians consider this city to be the same as Zarak or Zarang, the capital of the Zarangiana or Drangiana province, mentioned in Achaemenid inscriptions similar to the inscriptions of Darius in Behistun, Susa, Persepolis, and Naqsh-e Rustam. It is also referred to as Zarrinshahr.