Aspanwar/Asbanbar: A Description of a Word in the Book of Andarz i Khosraw i Qabadan

There is a difference of opinion about the word “Aspanwar” among the translators of Andarz i Khosraw i Ghabadan as well as other scholars of Middle Persian language and literature, lexicographers and encyclopedists at all levels of phonology, transliteration, explanation of meaning and determination of the signified. Aspanwar has been translated as: one of the seven cities of Madain; Isfahan; the horse stable; a place of rest; and a tomb. Due to the placement of this word at the top of Andarznameh and the limitation of Andarznameh to the place of Aspanwar, each reading of this word affects the totality of the audience’s interpretation of the text of Andarz i Khosraw i Ghabadan. In this article, the term Aspanwar will be studied within three domains: first, historical data; second, analysis of the lexical structure of Aspanwar; and third, the evidence of the text for the description of the text, which falls under semantics and speech functions. Also in this article, mythological narratives are used to describe Aspanwar. The result of the study reinforces the explanation that Aspanwar was made by constructing the word aspān (horse) + suffix “-war” (meaning area, border, and boundary) and means neither Isfahan nor tomb, but a structure or area associated with “horse”. Thus, it means a public square, which was the same structure that in the Islamic period had the common name “Shah Square” and has been a constant part of the Iranian palace architecture. With its development, this square has become one of the seven cities of Madain. Therefore, the meaning of Aspanwar in Andarz i Khosraw i Ghabadan was Madain Square and one of its seven cities where the most important structure of the Sassanid court, namely Arch of Madain, was built. This part of Madain is still called Asbanbar on the east bank of the Tigris and south of Ctesiphon.