KARACHI, Feb 28: A 12-member team of French archaeologists after living stranded in the city for a month is leaving today, for its destination near Turbat, Kech Makran in Balochistan to carryout excavation work.

The French mission headed by Dr Roland Besenval, comprises of M Vincent Marcon, M Benjamin Mutin, Amrore Didier, Cecile Beber, Dr Jean Desse, Dr Nathalie Desse, Cecile Buguet, Julie Nives Nivou, Dr Anne Chaillu, Catherine Theiller and Dr Gomguen Davtian.

The mission had been working in Makran for nearly two decades and its members come every year to carry out their work between January and March, as a matter of routine had applied for the required permissions and the NOCs in October last, from Paris and they were advised to come as they came every year and the permissions would be ready by then.

But to the disappointment of the team, the permissions were not ready upon their arrival, as promised. Eventually after much effort by the team members and the French consulate general in the city, the permission was granted on Monday.

French Consul-General Jean-Yves Berthault, speaking at a lecture on Mehrgarh, a few days back, had also expressed deep concern over the unusually long delay in getting the required permission for the French mission to start its work in Makran.

The team is excavating an archaeological site at Shahi-Tump mound, near Turbat, and has discovered the remains of a civilization dating back to around 7,000 years.

In 1927, Sir Aurel Stein had excavated a large trench at this site and had discovered an original type of decorated pottery, which he declared belonged to the 2nd millennium BC. But the French mission's excavations have showed evidences of a much older civilization.

The mission chief Dr Roland Besenval, responding to Dawn queries on Monday, said that almost half of the time had been lost as the permission to travel to Balochistan was issued on Monday (Feb 28), and the team, keeping in view the time lost, was leaving early Tuesday morning by road and was expected to get to the site on Wednesday and by Thursday the work on the site would start.

He said that the site, around half-a-kilometre-long, was inhabited by people about 7,000 years ago. He said that the work at Shahi-Tump was still under progress and the study underlined the importance of proto-historical occupation of Makran and the complex organization of the cultures.

Some of the pottery pieces that had been excavated from Shahi-Tump are almost similar to those found in the South Eastern Iran and Tajakistan, which showed that either these people belonged to the similar civilization or had trade links between them.

Some seals having the monogram of a bull similar to those found at Moenjodaro have also been discovered from Shahi-Tump, which hints at a possible trade or other link between the inhabitants of these two regions.

Mr Besenval said that a large number of such archeologically important sites had been identified in Balochistan and hopefully when all, or even a majority of these, were excavated the chronology and picture regarding the area's civilization would become clearer.

He was uncertain about the condition of those sites after the recent floods that had hit Makran. Mr Besenval said that these archaeological sites were the heritage of the entire humanity and efforts should be made to preserve these sites. He also urged for the protection of such sites so as to avoid the sale of the historical treasures being excavated from these sites in black market.