Scientists have been investigating the Zanjan Salt Mine since 2004 with the help of residents and workers from surrounding villages. The village of Hamzehloo is both a neighbor and protector of the ancient Douzlakh Salt Mine, a national heritage site, but the villagers are at risk of migrating. Rice was still being cultivated in the region 20 years ago, so there was enough water. However, climate change can be seen very clearly here, today life is rough and precarious. The water is saline for geological reasons and cannot be used by humans, while livestock can cope well with the salinity. Drinking water now has to be transported over long distances. Some villages have been able to install water desalination plants thanks to donations or their own efforts, but Hamzehloo is unable to do this.
Archaeologists, Geologists and Engineers
That is why the project "Water, Education and Tourism in the rural Mahneshan region/Iran" was launched in 2019. Archaeologists, geologists and engineers use scientific methods to locate water deposits, plan the kilometers of pipes from the well to the village and reservoir on the basis of a geographical model and develop a desalination plant that is precisely tailored to the salinity of the local water.
Science and Society
The water project shows what archeology can bring to society beyond science. The skills brought in from the academic subject, such as project coordination, networking and academic and technical methods, but also the long-established trust are used so that people now benefit from their cultural heritage and, conversely, the cultural heritage site remains under the protection of local residents.
Preservation of Cultural Heritage, Education, Life
Future projects are also intended to transfer knowledge from science to society. Other funding applications focus on the sustainable linking of archaeology, heritage conservation, education and tourism with local life. A rural area with breathtaking scenery is to be turned into an educational and visitor destination, and the museum in the city, which houses the famous mummies from the mine, and the excavation site in the countryside are to be linked.
See also:
https://lisa.gerda-henkel-stiftung.de/klimawandel_wassernot
https://lisa.gerda-henkel-stiftung.de/patrimonial_projects