Ancient Monuments, Inscriptions and Documents in Barzok

Barzok is a historical and ancient city located in mountainous regions of Kāshān. Arranged in two section, this article is an investigation of ancient monument and history of Barzok through studying old documents. Due to the lack of precise and clear-cut pre- Islamic documents about Barzok, this research applied cultural and historical evidences such as language, folk literature, beliefs, and rituals to provide a holistic picture of Barzok's history. Considering inscriptions of Ilkhāni and Safavi era, Barzok's historical significance in Islāmic period is examined. There are authentic data about historical state of Qājār era. It is worthy to note that some books of Qājār period referred to Barzok. For instance, Nayebiān's attack on this city, Barzoki's courageous defense and their cruel homicide by Nāyebiān could not be removed from history's memory.The second section is aimed at scrutinizing ancient monuments such as inscriptions of Ilkhāni and Safavi era, ancient monuments of Tappe Ghale (means castle hill), the history of city's structures, Barzok's holy shrines such as Chehel Dokhtarān and Imāmzādeh Ahmad in Safavi era, along with Serāj Al-Din shrine and historical houses of Mousavi, Kardan and Ghāderi (anthropological museum). The present study introduces the inscriptions and documents in Barzok's anthropological museum which date back to Ilkhāni, Safavi, and Qājāri's era. A comprehensive review of these documents is also presented. The results indicate that Barzok is a significant cultural and historical state and investigators are needed to profoundly study and review it.