The city is located at the edge of the Lut desert, which is one of the hottest and driest places in the world.

"By the early third millennium B.C., Shahdad began to grow quickly as international trade with Mesopotamia expanded.

Tomb excavations revealed spectacular artifacts amid stone blocks once painted in vibrant colors.

The city's artisans worked lapis lazuli, silver, lead, turquoise, and other materials imported from as far away as eastern Afghanistan, as well as shells from the distant Persian Gulf and Indian Ocean.

Evidence shows that ancient Shahdad had a large metalworking industry by this time.

Due to proximity of the Shahdad Plain to the Lut Desert, its climate is hot and dry; often there are strong winds blowing densely mixed with dust.

Also, according to Iranian archaeologist Hassan Fazeli Nashli, some 900 Bronze Age sites have been documented in the Sistan Basin, which is located further to the east, mostly in Afghanistan.