Behzad Ali-Talesh, head of the archeology team, said that the ancient site of Masoumzadeh on a natural hill on the south-southeast direction of the present-day city of Bojnourd, the capital of North Khorasan Province, is located in the urban texture. Currently about five to six hectares of the area have been declared protected area by the Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Department of North Khorasan Province, IRNA reported.

He further remarked that the monument was first identified by Dr. Negahban in 1967 and was registered on the National Monuments list under as number 708 and later excavations were conducted to determine its precincts.

The archeologist noted that the extensive excavations at the site was launched in a 500-square-meter workshop at the northeastern-most part of the site and despite the fact that studies in the workshop have not yet been completed, evidence dating back to the second up to the eighth centuries Hegira have so far been identified.

He added that the discovery of the octagonal structure which is made of the layered stones with clay mortar is among the most significant findings of the exploration operations.