Geoy Tepe

🕰️When was it built?

The site goes back to prehistoric times. Excavations identified seven periods of settlement, from the Chalcolithic to the Iron Age. Geoy Tepe was added to Iran's National Heritage List in August 1968 and is important for understanding the past of the Urmia plain.

🏛️What was it built for?

People lived on this site in many different periods. Remains of mud houses, together with tools and vessels, tell of settlement and daily life. Archaeological mounds build up as the remains of one period settle on top of another, and each layer can shed light on part of the past.

👀What you will see

• The mound is about 24 metres high, and its raised outline in the surrounding land is one of the site's features.
• Copper tools found in excavation are among the finds related to the lives of people in this area.
• Pottery vessels decorated with human figures are among Geoy Tepe's finds and stand out for their painted designs.
• Remains of mud houses were also found on the site, evidence that people lived here.

💡Something interesting

Thomas Burton Brown, an English archaeologist from the University of Manchester, excavated Geoy Tepe in 1948. The seven periods of settlement were identified through his work. The site matters not only for the mound you see today but for the layers of life inside it.

🎒Good to know before you go

• Housing has badly damaged the mound; in the winter of 2025–26, test trenches were announced to fix the boundaries of the site and its buffer zone.