نشریه مطالعات ایرانشناسی
پیاپی 15 (زمستان 1398)

Upon the rise of the Safavid government to power in Iran, the boundaries of the country were gradually specified and,after many centuries, the whole geographical realm of Iran was finallyruled by a single government. Through establishing security in different regions and trade routes of Iran and declaring Shiismas the official state religion, the Safavid government succeeded in bringing all Iranian people together under a single flag once again. During this period, because of the expansion of political and business relationships between Iran and other countries, foreign ambassadors had a vast presence in the country and, as a result, several travelogues were written by some travelers such as Shirley brothers, Charden, Tavernier, and Kaempfer. Following a descriptive-analytic method, the present paper examines the travelogues of this periods and explores the biography of their writers, the reasons for their presence in Iran, and the significant points in their travelogues. The findings of this study indicate that political and trade purposes were among the most important reasons behind the presence of travelers in Iran during the Safavid period.

Naz Vanak Spring and the small river it has created are among the most fascinating landscape in Semirom County. This spring is located in a mountainous region in the Zagros Mountain range, which is considered to be one of the cold areas of Isfahan Province. The Karun River originates in this region. It enjoys diverse vegetation and a moderate to cold climate. Naz Vanak Spring and river are located 10 km to the southwest of the city of Vanak. Vanak and Naz Vanak spring are both located at the northern hillsides of Dālānkūh. The water of thisspring is clear and limpid and after flowing into a narrow and short local river joins the Ab Vanak River, which is effluent but narrow and shallow. The mountains surrounding the city of Vanak are made of sedimentary rocks and the terrains and valleys created as a result of geological processes and erosions in the rocks have granted a beautiful view to the region, which attracts the attention of onlookers. The natural sites of this region can function as appropriate environments for scientific, sport-related, recreational, and economic activities. This study was conducted following a descriptive-analytic method and based on library sources.

KurdistanProvince is one of the regions in Iran which has remained almost unknown in terms of its architecture, particularly during the Islamic period. The study of the architecture of this province can provide a more profound understanding of Iranian architecture during this period. The purpose of the present paper is to introduce and explore the architectural features of the historical mosque of Savinas village, as a native-style mosque, in Mahabad and compare them with the features of similar examples of the Qajar period in Kurdish-residing regions. The photos taken by Ali Khan Vali, the ruler of Mokryan, which was a Muslim Kurdish emirate centered at Mahabad, from Savina s village during the reign of Qajar kings indicate that this mosque was constructed by Qadir Agha, the owner of the village, during the late Qajar period. Moreover, historical documents reveal that, because of the attention of local rulers, Savina s village turned into a greatly important place after the construction of the ruler’s mansion there, and the mosque was officially recognized as the religious and political center of Mokri Gavarak District in the Qajar period. The findings of this study, which was conducted following the library and field methods, demonstrate that the architectural style of Qajar mosques is of a local and native nature and is greatly different from the style of other Iranian mosques, particularly those in the central regions.

Iranians have always viewed Russian Iranology as a source of some seriously questionable issues regarding all aspects of Iranian history and culture. However, after the disintegration of the former Soviet Union and the recent advancements in the field of Iranology, Russian Iranologists were expected to reconsider their previous theories and judgments. On the other hand, given their access to a number of rare archives and documents which were previously inaccessible to other researchers, the interested Iranian society also expects them to conduct some fundamental studies based on such documents. In this paper, through referring to some examples of these archives and documents, the author propounds the existing expectations and discusses them in detail.

Documents are among the most important and reliable resources in historical studies and, among the mass of documents, petitions, as voices of people, could be explored as a rich source for historical studies, particularly in the field of social and economic history. Through a study of the structure of the petitions sent to the National Consultative Assembly between 1926 and 1932 by various trades and craftsmen, the author examines the demands and expectations of the petition writers. The findings of this study demonstrate that the examined petitions are similar to other documents with respect to their structural elements. Moreover, the study of their content reveals that tax-related problems and challenges with municipality offices were the most important themes of craftsmen’s and trader’s complaints.

In Sorkhah Dizah Village in West Kerend District, there are the remains of an ancient structure which possibly dates back to the Sassanid Period. In historical texts and travelogues of the Islamic period, several references have been made to a military castle in Sorkhah Dizah village in a region called Murj al-Qalah. The western regions of Iran, particularly Kermanshah, were of great importance during the late Sassanid period and attracted the attention of Sassanid Kings. One of the reasons prompting this attention was the existence of Khorasan Highway, which was the main route connecting Mesopotamia to the Plateau of Iran. Moreover, it was an important commercial road, which has been a center of attention since several thousand years before Christ. The mentioned ancient structure is along Patagh mountain pass, which has a strategic and extremely sensitive location and has always enjoyed great military value in the course of history. Following a historical approach to geography and through analyzing archaeological data and comparing them with the existing data in related sources, this study is intended to examine the truth of the data provided by geographers in relation to Sorkhah Dizah Castle and Murj al-Qalah and investigate the chronology and potential functions of the castle.