An ancient cemetery with urn-like tombs has been discovered in Ahvaz, the capital of Khuzestan province in southwestern Iran.

The cemetery was accidentally discovered while drilling oil wells on the Karun River in the city of Ahvaz, Planet Today writes.

The cemetery, located about 150 meters from the river, contained the remains of ancient people, some beige-colored tombs covered in natural resin, said Iranian archaeologist Hossein Feizi. He said that the vase-shaped tombs were located toward the river and were probably built according to the principles of Mithraism.

Preliminary research indicates that the cemetery dates back to the days of the Parthian Empire (247 B.C. - 224 A.D.), which once stretched from the northern banks of the Euphrates, in what is now central-eastern Turkey, to eastern Iran.