An international congress on "The Iron Age in the Iranian World" was held with "big success" in the historical Belgian city of Ghent this week, IRNA reported from Brussels.

"It went beautiful. I think it was a big success,'' Prof Dr Ernie Haerinck, an expert on Iranian archaeology at Ghent University, told IRNA Saturday.

He noted that about 70 scholars from all over the world, including 7 from Iran, attended the 4-day event (Monday-Thursday) at Ghent University.

"This shows that the scientific interest in the Iranian world is still very much alive,'' said the professor adding that he has decided to organize another such congress in the future.

The focus of the congress was on the pre-Achaemenid period and the themes covered included the origins and developments of the Iron Age, the Medio-and Neo-Elamite periods, the Luristan Bronzes, the Urartian presence in Iran, the Medes and the transition to the Achaemenid period.

Topics of some of the papers read at the congress included: Notes on seal use and seal imagery in Iron Age Iran ; some aspects of the Iron Age in Mazanderan; Iran, the region of Tehran and the Iranian Iron Age problem in the light of recent discoveries; Iron Age Iran: problems and approaches.

Professor Haerinck said the papers presented at the congress will be published in early 2005.

The congress was organized by the Ghent University and the Royal Museums for Art and History, Brussels together with the Iran Heritage Foundation, London.