Evaluating the Performance of the Gohar Tepe Site Museums in Behshahr, Based on Global Approach to Creating Sites Museums Emphasizing on tourism development

Document Type : Articles Extracted from Thesis

Authors

Associate Professor, Department of Archeology, Faculty of Art and Architecture, University of Mazandaran, Babolsar, Iran.

Abstract

Context and Purpose: The prehistoric site of Gohar Tepe is one of the richest archaeological sites in Mazandaran province, which has been archaeologically excavated between 2002 and 2012. This site, which has an important place in archaeological studies in the north of the country in terms of the sequence of cultural periods and the richness of ancient relics, was exposed to the attention of cultural heritage enthusiasts in the form of a prehistoric site museum at the same time as the aforementioned excavation. However, after nearly a decade since the beginning of this site museum's activity, not many studies have been conducted to evaluate its performance based on global approaches to creating site museums. However, scientific evaluation of this site and improvement of its current condition can play an effective role in the development of the regional tourism.
Design/methodology/approach: Therefore, the present study evaluates the performance of the Gohar Tepe Site Museum in Mazandaran by utilizing field and documentary studies and analyzing the results obtained with a descriptive-analytical method.
Findings: Based on the results, the preservation measures taken, such as the fundamental strengthening of cultural artifacts at the Gohar Tepe Site Museum, are not appropriate. In that the cultural findings obtained from the archaeological excavations of this site have not been desirably organized and have been presented to visitors in an inappropriate way.
Conclusion: The study of the Gohar Tepe Site Museum using the field surveys and documentary studies indicates the numerous shortcomings in the management, preservation, and presentation of cultural artifacts in this complex. Therefore, in order to improve the performance of the Gohar Tepe Site Museum and its position in the development of regional tourism, appropriate long-term planning should be carried out based on the global approach to creating site museums are necessary to improve the quality of preservation measures, the way in which artifacts are displayed, informing the public about the site, and easy access for visitors to this complex.
Originality/value: This study evaluates the performance of the Gohar Tepe site-museum, identifying shortcomings in the management and preservation of cultural artifacts. Its innovation lies in applying global approaches to improve the status of this site and enhance regional tourism.

Keywords

References

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Tourism and hospitality marketing research
Volume 3, Issue 2 - Serial Number 5
Autumn and Winter
September 2025
Pages 171-194

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