Ancient Cave Habitation of Kuy-e Keyvan, Azna, East Central Zagros, Iran

In 2018, parts of an underground building were unearthed during excavations at Kuy-e Keyvan, located in the city of Azna, Lorestan province, Iran. The site was destroyed and leveled in considerable portions as part of the city’s urban development plan. Work commenced on an archaeological rescue project to identify the architectural spaces, prepare a plan, and investigate the site function in June 2019. It covered an area larger than one and a half hectares and yielded twenty-five spaces—containing rooms and communication pathways—with pottery sherds, bones, and metal artifacts dating to the Parthian, Sassanid, and early–mid Islamic periods. The use of these underground structures is unknown, but the location of underground structures beneath the Kuy-e Keyvan site, along with the existence of rooms and corridors where pottery has been discovered, suggest that they served as a residential and shelter area. However, it is possible that some underground structures served a (temporary?) religious purpose.