Ancient miners in Iran were naturally mummified by the salt they were extracting

Countries & Cities · Published 15 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: In 1993, miners in Iran’s Zanjan Province accidentally uncovered a severed, well-preserved head wearing a gold earring. This discovery revealed the Saltmen: a collection of individuals naturally mummified by the extreme saline conditions of the Douzlakh Salt Mine. These remains offer a rare, detailed look at life across several ancient empires.

The Saltmen of Zanjan are not the result of intentional embalming, but rather a rare form of natural preservation. The high concentration of salt within the Douzlakh mine inhibited the growth of bacteria and microorganisms that typically cause decomposition. These dry, saline conditions rapidly desiccated the soft tissues of the miners, allowing skin, hair, beards, and even organic materials like clothing and food to survive for centuries.

Initial discoveries were accidental, occurring during routine mining operations. In 1993, workers found the first Saltman, whose remains included a head and a leather boot containing a leg and foot. Subsequent excavations in 2004 and 2005, followed by systematic research involving international institutions like the University of Oxford and Ruhr-Universität Bochum, revealed that the mine had been in use for over a thousand years. While early estimates based on artifacts suggested a date of 800 BCE, radiocarbon dating later placed the individuals across the Achaemenid, Parthian, and Sasanian periods.

The collection of remains is more diverse than originally thought. Researchers have identified at least eight individuals, including an adolescent and at least one female. Isotopic analysis indicates these miners were not a single community; some were local to the Tehran-Qazvin Plain, while others traveled from as far as Central Asia. Their deaths were likely the result of separate mining accidents caused by tunnel collapses, rather than a single catastrophic event. Today, these findings provide an extraordinary window into ancient labor, diet, and textile technology, with preserved items ranging from iron knives and silver needles to patterned wool garments.

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