Recognition of the importance and position of Rostaq-e Bakharz in the political-administrative geography of Khorasan during the Islamic Period

"Bākharz" is the name of one of the ancient and authentic Rastāq of Khorāsān that has always been mentioned in the historical texts of the Islamic era. This Rastāq, had extended from the north to Rastāq-e Jām, from the west to Rastāq-e Zāveh, to the south to Rastāq-e Zuzan, and from the east to the province of Poushang, and the center of this historic city is Mālin, whose massive ruins today appear on the southern edge of the current city of Bākharz. According to the historical texts, Rastāq-e Bākharz has been of great importance due to the presence of Herāt – Nishapur, and Merv-Herāt, as well as the favorable climate conditions and a variety of agricultural production these factors all led to the development of Rastāq-e Bākharz in this period. This process was transformed in the late Islamic centuries following the invasions of Uzbeks, and with the separation of Herāt from Iran and with the drawing of modern political boundaries, Bākharz also lost his crucial role in historical transformations, and changed to a small, low-profile township on the fringes of the current border of Afghanistan and Iran. The present research seeks to present a comprehensive picture of the relations of this era in the Islamic period with the analysis of historical texts and archaeological findings. It also seeks to analyze its political, social and cultural status in the political-administrative geography of Khorāsān.