Analysis of structural and decorative features and the function of Qaleh Shahid in Narmashir, Kerman

The city of Narmashir is located on the path of communication that, during the Islamic era, would link the center and west of Iran's plateau to the southeast, the shores of the Oman Sea and Hormuz. This city is known to be one of the major cities of Kerman in the third (Yaqubi, 2002, p.150) and fourth (Hadud al-'alam, 2004, p.143; Maqdisi, 2006, p.681) Hijri century. From the end of the Timurid to the Qajar period, there is not much noted in regards to this region in the geographical history books. Until the Qajar period, where Narmashir was re-named as the district of Kerman (Shirvani, 2010, p.603) and the district of Bam (Etemad al-Saltanah, 1988, p.472). In the current city of Narmashir, in addition to the Islamic buildings and sites, such as towers, caravanserai and a hill called 'carton', there were also reinforced using military-defensive and master-residential buildings. Qaleh Shahid (Shahid Castle) is an example of such buildings in Narmashir, which was most likely built in the late Islamic era.

With attention to the significance of Narmashir throughout the era of Islam and its vast affects, a historic and archaeological study of this area is necessary. In this essay, we study archaeology of the Shahid castle, which is one of the most known and ancient castles in the area. The main questions raised in this research are: What are the architectural and decorative features of Shahid castle and what are the factors influenced by it? What was the function of this building? The purpose of this essay is to investigate the type of work, as well as an analysis of the architectural and decorative features of the castle and its materials. Data collection method is field-documentary and the research method is descriptive-analytic. This data analysis is based on deductive reasoning.

 Shahid castle is located today in a village of the same name in Azizabad in the central part of Narmashir city. Two-storey castle building has several rooms and two towers with similar decorations on both sides of the eastern and western entrance doors. The current area of ​​the building is estimated at about 200 square meters per floor. The castle was built without a platform and directly on the ground. It is possible that the castle and its towers were built in the late Zand period, and some of which have been added in the last 180 years (Shoshizadeh et al., 2005, p.2). The castle has a regular rectangular pattern (fig. 3). The main axis of the building has been the access point of the spaces through the central corridor. The most important space is a room on the first floor and on the top of the entrance. This room has three openings to the outside. Access to the ceiling and towers has been made from this room. The presence of a large open space outside the castle indicates the presence of the master and the possibility of communicating between him and the others. Divisions and social relations, the system of activities and economic conditions of the society surrounding the castle with regard to the presence of the privately-owned castle can also be seen. Shahid castle towers with a height of approximately 12 meters and the same decorations are located on both sides on the inside and the outside (fig. 6).The close proximity of the towers to each other, as well as increasing the defense of the castle's inhabitants, also adds to the beauty and decorative aspect of the building. The shape of the towers is cylindrical and their plan is circular. In addition to the two towers, there were four other towers. Two of which were at of the northeastern and the other two at the northwestern side of the castle; most of them were destroyed. The castle's towers seemed to have multipurpose functions. They were used to control the entrance and exit, in and out of the castle, in order to maintain control of the fortress, it was also used to protect the castle and to fight against the enemy. The fence and the presence of observation towers and congresses are considered as the main components of the castle's defense architecture. Thus, in constructing the castle with the master and the residents in mind, these necessary measures were needed to stop or at least slow down the speed of the invaders outside the castle and the fence inside it.Due to the current location of the castle in the village, as well as its frequent and continuous use, and the gradual abandonment of it in recent decades, no culture data, such as clay pieces, was found in any parts nor the surroundings of the fort. The main materials used are mudbrick and thatch, on some parts there was plastered surfaces. There are also bricks in some parts of the building. There is also signs of wood had been used within the framework of the remaining entrance (fig. 5).Narmashir is located in the warm and dry climate of Iran. In these areas, the hot seasons are long and the winters are short, with a temperature difference of up to two times at night and day. Therefore, the construction of walls using brick to keep the inside warm during the cold season, this is an example of the use of some of the best materials in the region. On the other hand, the use of clay and laminate as an affordable and popular material, made it both convenient and inexpensive, and it was easy to recycle. Observing the principle of introversion and the making room for interior spaces along keeping defensive issues in mind, and to avoid direct sunlight as well as hot and dry winds, openings in the walls have been kept to a minimum. In contrast, in order to provide light, the location of the entrance ports and ceiling lights is chosen to provide the necessary light space. The structure of the mudbrick was not suitable for joining tile or stone decoration. Clay can also be considered as materials that have been used in decorations, in addition to the structure of the Narmashir monuments. Hence, the special layout of the bricks in front and rear is used to add a kind of decorative element in the castle. For example, in niches or some windows, the layout of the upper part is such that architects create a multi-edged and decorative form with the front and back of the bricks, and draw a mortar on it. This type of decorative element has been seen in other Islamic cultures in Narmashir plain (Jamali and Rafi Abad) and in the upper part of the windows of the Rayen citadel of Kerman. The castle towers are covered with sun-dried brick, exterior and interior. For instance, the bricks on the exterior of the tower are lined with crossover, square shapes, diagonal lines, rows of other geometric patterns, and the outer decorations of the towers. This type of form and decoration has been used as architectural and decorative patterns that have been common in other towers and minarets in Narmashir and other parts of Iran since the Seljuk period.

Shahid castle was built and used as a governmental, private and residential property, and which took military action during insecurity. The castles and towers date back to the late Islamic centuries. In regards to the architectural features, the type of decoration, type of plan and kind of materials used, the most important are:- Construction on a regular and rectangular surface;- The presence of the roof of the arched roof, the windows and the wall heater in the spaces and rooms of the building;- The presence of a fence and a solid wall in accordance with cultural and security conditions;- Establishing a dominant atmosphere; suiting the economic situation, livelihoods and social status, divisions and communications; and a system of social activism;- The construction of two observation towers with a circular plan and a cylindrical shape to suit the nature, the environmental conditions and able to withstand severe storms, as well as to better defense, over watch and gain control the inside and surroundings of the building;- The use of structural elements of mud brick, thatch and wood for the doors, and possibly windows, in accordance with the climatic characteristics of hot and dry areas. In general, we can say that the reasons for using clay in this area are: The use of local materials in accordance with the principle of "self-sufficiency"; Lower costs of construction, repair and maintenance; ease of work; Simplicity and avoidance of futility; Adaptation to the environment and needs; High resistance of mud brick and clay produced in Narmashir due to the presence of sand and gravel in them; Resistance to extreme changes in temperature between the night and day; Resistance to mild earthquakes; Good for thermal insulation.