Kukherd, a vast collection of rock art in Hormuzgan Province
Kukherd is a significant historical site, known for its vast collection of rock art, located in a village with the same name, near a mountain range in Hormuzgan Province.
This site dates back to the Neolithic period and covers an area of over 200 hectares, with the main concentration of petroglyphs found in the north of the village and the mountain range.
Kukherd is the second largest center of petroglyphs in the Bastak region, after Deh Tall. The petroglyphs found in Kukherd depict a range of shapes and designs, including sheep, goats, wild goats, humans, and other strange and bizarre figures, similar to those found in Deh Tall.
Most of the rock art depicts scenes of animal hunting and human activities. The petroglyphs are scattered across the area, starting from the north of the village and extending to the foothills of the mountains, with a relatively low density at higher altitudes, increasing in lower areas. These carvings are made on dark-colored rocks. The petroglyphs are located on the path of large rivers in the north of the village, which can sometimes cause floods after heavy rainfall and contribute to the destruction of this site.
Designs carved on the stones have roots in the livelihood of the people who settled in this plain and benefited from its environmental resources.
They have put their ways of life in writings on these stones. The subject of the motifs is relatively diverse, mostly consisting of goat motifs that vary in size. These motifs are mostly displayed in half-profile (mostly in animal and human motifs) or full-profile (in human motifs). Goat motifs are mostly seen in herds, or individually, or in the process of hunting, which indicates the hunting methods of that era in this region.
Other motifs in this ancient site are geometric. Human motifs, like those of other sites, include various subjects such as horse riding, performing ceremonies, herding, etc.
In the 2018 surveys carried out in the eastern part of the Shamo Valley, some stone tools were found, revealing the most important data that can be collected.
Apart from the aforementioned stone tools, no other archaeological data was found in Kukherd historical site. It can be assumed that these tools belong to people whose lifestyle was nomadic, so no architectural structures and other cultural data have been found there so far.
The prehistoric stone tools found in this area are similar in structural forms to those from the Neolithic period.