Turang Tappeh
Turang Tappeh is situated some 22 km to the northeast of Gorgan by road and dirt track, and access is possible only by a taxi from Gorgan. This, together with two other mounds (Shah Tappeh and Tappeh Hissar), is among the most ancient historic sites of the area excavated first in 1841 by Iranians and then in 1931 by an American Archeological Expedition from the University of Pennsylvania. Turang Tappeh, destroyed during the Mongol ,period (1220-1380), was a major regional caravan station and town. Excavations reveal five distinct layers, the earliest dating back to the 6th millenium BC and the latest to the early ArabperiodJ637-10S0 AD). The relics (lapis lazuli beads and ceramic pieces) unearthed from these mounds and the adjoining cemetery, include pottery and some other objects belonging to the 2nd and 3rd millennia BC. Also in the ruins of the ancient town of Jorjan, relics dating from the Islamic period and indicative of the spaciousness of this vast historic area at that time, have been discovered. The more important finds are now on display at Tehran in the National Museum of Iran.