مجله مطالعات باستان شناسی
سال سیزدهم شماره 3 (پیاپی 27، پاییز 1400)

Based on the results of preceding research in the field of architectural history and archeology; the largest brick arch in the Islamic world during Ilkhanid era (1256-1353 AD), in the remains of so-called Alishah Gilani, Minister of sultan Muhammad Khodabandeh Öljaitü, and in the city of Tabriz has been erected. In the present survey, by providing the structural weakness of the architectural volume of the building attributed to Alishah to execute such a huge arch in a span of thirty meter, while the previous studies have been questioned, the incompatibility of modern architectural remains with the mosque in historical texts has been confirmed. With this pre-assumption that the U-shape structure had been considered to create a brick arch of a huge architectural project; clarifying the statically limitations of the mentioned building in terms of the impossibility of creating any kind of arch or vault in the mentioned span would shed new lights on the identity of this structure. After responding to the question of static feasibility of any kind of arch or vault in the so-called Ark-e-Alishah and besides static analyses, what paradox of historical engineering does the results highlight is that the tension result of loading due to any kind of arch would exceed the mechanical potentials of structure's buckling capacities, causing gross deformation and fracture of vertical units under any conditions. From this point of view, there has never been any kind of arch nor vault in this building anytime - The engraving drawn by Jean Chardin seems to represent an accurate picture of the Alishah building before the new southern part was annexed to it, and the connection of the southern part took place after the early seventeenth century (the year this engraving was drawn)– and in other words, what is known as today’s remnants of the so-called Ark-e-Alishah is in the complete contradiction with what is known as Ali-Shah Mosque including a great brick arch

It is difficult to debate about the planning, correct implementation, and effectiveness of a government's strategies, such as defining the concept of the strategy. Having a strong military force and utilizing a variety of efficient and modern armament has always been one of the ideals of governments throughout history. The Iranian states have not been exempted from this rule and have used their financial and human resources to achieve these goals. Although the Sasanians were more advanced in many aspects of administration and military than the previous Iranian governments, they could not have been so successful in military affairs without careful strategic planning. The question is, what military strategy did the Sasanians adopt for the maintenance and the continuity of their empire? The answer to this question can be summarized in a variety of grand, long-term and short-term strategies. The very hostile strategy of the Sasanian government is not very much in line with modern theories, but it was fruitful and effective in the tumultuous late antiquity. Without their grand strategy, the Sasanian kings would not have been able to achieve numerous lasting and dramatic victories. Through the application of this strategy, they maintained and strengthened the position of the royal family among the traditional aristocracy (feudal clans), clergy, warlords, high nobility, and so on. In this paper, in order to find answers for our question, we attempt to explain the various types of strategies and tactics of the Sasanians through a descriptive-comparative-analytical approach and examine their role in the power, weakness, durability, or decline of their empire. The result generally shows the efficacy of the various Sasanian strategies and tactics in the early and middle periods, but the strategic errors of certain kings in the late period and several centuries of persistence and repetition of some aspects of their grand strategy resulted in undermining of their government

Garmoz is one of the less well-known ancient sites in the southwest of Iran, located 13 kilometers south-east of Behbahan city. The eastern valleys and the western plains of this site were the mainstays of the formation of a part of the water supply system and irrigation of the important areas in Downstream areas of the Zidoun and the Hendijjan plains in the Sasanian era. The present study has investigated the irrigation and water supply system to the downstream areas of Gormoz Valley. The purpose of this study is to identify the local and geographical features of Garmoz Valley along with the necessity of creating such a water supply project in the Sassanid era and continuing to pay attention to it in the first centuries of Islam. The question that this paper tries to answer is as follows: How and with what goals was the safe transfer of water from the upper parts of the Khaiyrabad River to the lower points? The nature of aquatic structures is detrimental due to their location in the path of floods as well as riverbeds; It is therefore necessary before the complete destruction of these hydraulic structures; Documented them. The result is that the use of the power of indigenous forces and possibly Roman engineers in the valley of the Garmoz made the water-based water supply system and irrigation, which resulted in the transfer of water behind the dam or weir through channels similar to the Qanat system in the limestone rocks along the river banks to the points The lower was transferred to lower areas of safe and sweet water and prevented the migration of residents to high points and the development of trade and agriculture in the southern parts of Arajan's State. The history of this system was observed in areas of southwestern Iran, including the Daryoun Canal during the Achaemenid period, which is probably a confirmation of the Iranian nature of this irrigation and water supply system. The development of this water supply system in the Sassanid era was completed with the help of local experts and free labor, or at least the cost of Roman captives. This article is the result of combining field research data with citation sources that is presented using the historical descriptive analysis method

Today, the approach of new archeology studies is applying different sciences, especially use of geographic information system (GIS) and sciences such as statistics, and different methods and models of these sciences. By using other scientific methods and tools, the orientation of spaces archeology has largely achieved a correct understanding of issues such as establishment pattern of ancient civilizations and the interactions between humans and environment. Darreh Shahr city in Ilam province is one of the areas where, apart from some scattered references in the content of geographical texts, no purposeful study has been done regarding the presence of Sassanids there. Therefore, in order to fill this historical gap, after conducting archeological studies with the aim of discovering the cultural evidence of the Sassanid presence in this city, 117 monuments were identified. Some researchers believe that the ruins of Seymareh in the south and southwest of the present city of Darreh Shahr during the Sassanid period, and at the center of Mehrjan-e-Ghazq furnace was part of the western part or Khorbaran coast.In this study, for the first time and with respect to environmental elevation, slope, land use, and distance from roads and rivers, the settlement pattern and spatial distribution of Sassanid landscapes of Darreh Shahr are analyzed using descriptive-analytical method and field-library studies. To achieve goals such as locating ancient sites, analysis of settlement patterns and finally, investigating the impact of environmental factors on the formation process and distribution of Sassanid areas, tools such as Geographic Information System (GIS), SPSS software, statistical models such as mean of nearest neighbor, linear regression, correlation coefficient and PCA method were used. The results show that the most important factor affecting the spatial distribution of Sassanid sites in Darreh Shahr is first, the distance from rivers and then, the factors such as altitude and slope of the area. In addition, based on the average nearest neighbor model, the pattern of settlement in the Sassanid areas of this region is almost identical and clustered.

Archaeological excavations in the Little Zab river in the areas of GirdiAshoan, Barveh, Bardeh Zard and Akhoran, in order to identify the cultural sequence of Zab, were carried out over four Seasons, which led to the identification of the Chalcolithic and Bronze Age. The Zab area is one of the areas where Archeological research has been conducted infrequently, so there is no information about its cultural sequence. In the studies of the Northwestern Iran, new excavations in the Zab basin have completed the knowledge and Chronology of the region.Hasanlu VII, is of great importance in this region, but the period has been given relatively little attention. Results of Archaeological excavations show that the site is possibly the most important Early Bronze Age settlement in the region and the duration of occupation, as evidenced by a depth of deposit of 8 meters. The settlement manifests strong parallels withother parts of northwest Iran, especially Hasanlu VIIA and GirdiHasan Ali. In Hasanlu VI ,The painted ware or the Urmia type pottery became widespread in the Middle Bronze Age areas of North Western. This tepe is one of various settlements formed there in different prehistoric periods.The excavations of this tepe led to the identification of the Middle Bronze Age settlement and a burial ground. Also, the exploration of the site made visible its cultural attachment with the Urmia Lake Basin and influences from the Khabur culture of Mesopotamia. Generally The results obtained indicate Hasanlu VIII,VII ,VI in zab basin.

Qorveh plain is located in the southeast of Kurdistan province and it is considered as one of the highlands of Zagros. This plain is located in the Sanandaj-Sirjan Inclined zone. The most prominent feature of this plain is the difference in the geological structure and environment of its north and south. This factor has made the distribution of settlements in these two parts completely different. Qorveh plain was studied and archaeologically reviewed in 2018. The result of this survey is the identification of 243 sites that indicated the establishment and continuity of human habitation from the Middle Chalcolithic period Age to the present, in this survey, more than 100 sites were identified for the first time, of these, and the Islamic period has a larger share. The present study is based on the archaeological findings of the Islamic period resulting from this study and it is trying to reconstruct the settlements landscape of this period and land use by assessment of historical texts, Satellite imagery and Gis maps and geology. In this study, the identified sites of the Islamic period are divided into three periods: early, middle and late centuries. The aim of this study is to study human relation with the environment in the Islamic period of this region. Some of the questions in this study are: what factors caused the formation of settlements in the Islamic period? What is the settlement pattern of Islamic sites in Qorveh plain? Did Qorveh plain have an urban center in the Islamic period? Among the factors such as water resources and fertile land, roads and mines have played a significant role in the formation of settlement s in Qorveh plain. The north settlements at plain are mostly linear and formed on river terraces. On the other hand, in the south of the plain, factors such as agricultural lands, communication routes and water resources have been very important in the formation of these areas. It seems that role of larger sites in creating small, satellite habitats in the southern part - probably the Central place system - has not been ineffective

Tomb sites, due to the prominent construction features, execution methods and decorative elements, account for an important part of the Iranian architectural patterns in the Islamic period in the group of burial buildings. Regarding to the fundamental importance of these sites, from a scientific point of view, research in various dimensions of their formation and emergence and comprehensive study is of great importance. One of the most important structural issues of tomb sites is determining the exact date of construction and developments that have affected their structures over time. The complex of Sheikh Ahmad-e Jam, in the city of Torbat-e Jam, which was founded by the will or to advance the governmental and political goals of one of the Khorasan mystics in the fifth and sixth centuries AH, is among the magnificent works of Iranian architecture and one of the most valuable historical sites in Iran. This complex have reflected a full image of Iranian-Islamic art and over time, has been one of the major centers of mysticism and Sufism in eastern Iran and the land of Khorasan. Despite this position and importance, many architectural features and decorative arts in this complex are still unknown and neglected.Among the buildings in the complex of Sheikh Ahmad Jam’s tomb, the dome chamber or solitary room (a place for worship), besides having a mystical and spiritual virtue for his children and grandchildren, one of the most important features of this building is the existence of a unique credential-narrative inscription of Al-Kart kings of Herat and a figure named "Gheymus" in it, and on the other hand, the focus of decorative patterns in the form of murals, inscriptions and paintings in various designs, has doubled the importance of the dome chamber of Jam’s tomb. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate and explain the architectural components and elements of this building by examining the concept and semantics of their array patterns. This research was conducted with the ultimate goal of obtaining answers to following questions. (1) Is the building of the dome chamber the same plain monastery of Sheikh Ahmad Jam, which was renovated by Sultan Sanjar after his death? (2) What justifies the existence of inscriptions and decorative elements in the interior space and their special concept and meaning? (3) Were the inscriptions and images written and drawn at the same period of time? However, in order to scientifically answer these questions, the research method and data collection of this study are based on documents and records, field studies and of laboratory tests and its approach is descriptive, comparative and interpretive analysis.

Because of the hot and dry weather of central desert in Iran, archaeological fieldwork and case studies in some regions like Tabas city have been insignificant and archaeologists were not interested in working there. However, recent archaeological surveys have provided valuable findings for researchers. Specific geographical location and the connection as a natural corridor among central Asia, North of Khorasan, southeast of Iran, and central plateau of Iran, which was made by central desert, can be a great cause of archaeological studies in this region to get better understanding of ancient cultures from east of Iran. Therefore, to achieve perfect understanding over Great Khorasan Culture (BMAC), and the way it was developed across the east of Iran and its intercultural issues with other regions, all of them would demand completed archaeological studies at the same time with this culture in central east. Recent archaeological fieldwork on Great Khorasan Culture (BMAC) in central east were led to recognize several settlements and some new cemeteries located on the east for this culture. Bekanda site in Tabas is one of the significant sites in central east in which many evidences of the Great Khorasan Culture (BMAC) have been observed. This site is located beside the permanent river and of course, it was damaged dramatically. According to archaeological evidences it appears that Bekanda is a cemetery correlated with Bronze Age and associated with Great Khorasan Culture (BMAC). The main sources of this research have been chosen from the library sources and excavations of Bekanda of Tabas. This excavation was done for determining and recommending the border of this site, then these findings were analyzed and interpreted in theoretical studies. This paper intends to introduce and describing Great Khorasan Culture (BMAC) at the eastern Part of central Desert of Iran; furthermore, its results can demonstrate different aspects of this culture.

During Neolithic time, increasing knowledge and various interactions paved the ground for the new experiments and products as well as spread of commodities and different ideas. Across the Near East, Neolithic archaeology has mostly focused on the beginning of domestication and sedentary life. Intensive interaction and exchange between societies, however, is amongst outcomes of Neolithization process that resulted in diffusion of some materials such as obsidian. To date, most of the researchers have taken the issue of long-distance contact in the light of geographical diffusion of obsidian, while various materials and commodities were exchanged via wide networks. In this regard, objects made of seashells are of particular importance. As  a result of recent excavation at Ali Kosh, a great number of different beads of shell and stone was found...along with seated burials dated to the second half of the 8th millennium BC. Tiny disc-shaped samples constitute the most common beads in the assemblage. They were previously known as stone beads. However, our recent examination shows that they are mostly made of a kind of bivalve sea shell known as Spondylus sp. It seems that such beads were produced on the Pesian Gulf shores, as the closest habitat of the shell, and then were transported or exchanged as finished goods. As evidenced by the recent stratigraphy and human isotopic analysis inhabitants of Ali Kosh had a high level of mobility. This highlights the role of interaction and exchange networks through which beads were diffused across lowlands of southwestern Iran. Accordingly, the site yielded remains of 18 levels indicating subsequent short-term occupations. Furthermore, as by the isotopic analysis, some of the buried individuals seem to have emigrated from shorelines to the site. This highlights the role of interaction and exchange networks through which beads were diffused across lowlands of southwestern Iran. Prevalence of shell beads at Ali Kosh reminds us that obsidian was not the only main exchanged material in the early Neolithic.  The main focus of the present article is  investigation of production and origin of oyster beads from the pre-pottery Neolithic levels at Ali Kosh, Deh Luran Plain

TheAzerbaijan Museum has historical artworks from the pre-Islamic to Islamic periods. One of the most important parts of this museum is an open-air section, where a large number of Gravestones, were collected and transported to this place from cemeteries around the city (Tabriz), as well as various East Azerbaijan cities cemeteries. Collecting of gravestones from different parts, has created a very rich collection of gravestones in this museum, which has provided a very good opportunity for studying East Azerbaijan gravestones in the Islamic periods. Now, in this research, we have tried to classify the gravestones ornaments types in the first stage by systematic research and collecting information by fieldwork and library methods, and afterward in the next step we will analyze the gravestones ornaments by symbolism approach. This research, which is of descriptive-analytical type, aims to answer the following questions: What are the symbolic meanings of the Azerbaijan Museum gravestones ornaments? What are the main features of the decorations of this gravestones and what motifs have been used the most? Based on this study, it was determined that the motifs ornaments in the Azerbaijan Museum gravestones (which are related to 14th to 17th century) are divided into four categories: palnet, geometric, Altar and inscription motifs that has direct relationship with religious beliefs of decided. Among these motifs inscription motifs are used mostly, basically poems and verses that shows mortality people initiation to the world. According to their religious beliefs, these people consider this world to be mortal and have tried to warn others about this mortality. Accordingly, they have been careful enough in choosing the theme, in choosing the poems, and in choosing the verses of the Qur'an. This has led to a harmony between the themes. Among the plant motifs on the Azerbaijan Museum gravestones, Khatai and Arabesque, and among the geometric patterns, circle are used mostly.

With seven cities, four districts, and 2514 square kilometers, Rudbar city is the largest city in the south of Gilan province. Environmental capabilities such as crossing the Sefid-rud River through the central part of Rudbar and being located in the connection route of the Central Plateau with northern Iran have long made this region the focus of groups and human communities. Hence, it has led to the scattering of countless sites throughout the region in the form of hills, cemeteries, and ancient sites. Between 2006 and 2010, among the 45 sites studied in the studied area, 19 sites from the Parthian period were identified with the cultural materials of this period. Descriptively and in the field, the present study has examined the topography, geographical location, access roads, and water resources of the works, as well as the cultural materials and pathology of the sites. Most of the surveyed areas include cemeteries and several small settlements. Limitation of environmental potentials is one of the most important factors that have prevented the formation of cities and large population centers in the region. Given the existence of pastures, forests, and water resources, it seems that the life of the people of this region at the same time as agriculture was based on animal husbandry. Additionally, the common way of life has been semi-nomadic (vertical style). Along a valley from the lowest to the highest point above sea level, the similarity of pottery and burials illustrates this well. In this study, most of the pottery of historical and Parthian periods was obtained in red, orange, dark brown, and generally polished, respectively. Most burials have simple pits, stone tumulus, catacombs, stone framed, and sometimes megaliths and jars. Comparable to other contemporaries, these burials are such as Vaskeh, Maian Rud, Maryan of Talesh and Rezvanshahr, and Coty deylaman Castles, Shahpir, Kaluraz, Juben and Chereh of Rudbar in Gilan, Germi in Azerbaijan and Biston in western Iran. The earthenware pieces of the sites are often polished and divided into two types, simple and decorative. The number of decorative pottery pieces was more than other species

The Old City of Sirjan site that is located about 11 km southeast of present-day Sirjan is the remains of the city from the Sassanid period to Middle Islamic centuries, which has been mentioned in historical and geographical sources as the capital of Kerman Province. All written historical sources highlight the political and cultural significance of this city in southeastern Iran in early Islamic centuries. Despite the fact that the Old City of Sirjan played a key role in the early Islamic centuries as the seat of Kerman province, archaeological studies on this city are still very rare. Written sources provide valuable information regarding this era; however, issues such as social structure, economic and cultural activities of the residents have been neglected. During the studies carried out by the authors of this paper on the arena of the city, considerable and variety of cultural material including pottery and glassware pieces were discovered. The volume variety of these discoveries raised questions as to the time and place of crafting, living of the craftsmen, industrial workshops, crafting and decoration techniques and artistic aspects of these remains. Current study aims to present the classification, typology and relative chronology of the glassware found in the arena of Old City of Sirjan this is done in order to determine their technical and decorative characteristics and compare the acquired data with those of the adjacent areas in the early Islamic centuries. The data were obtained through systematic surface survey and were evaluated using a descriptive-analytical methodology. The study revealed that the Old City of Sirjan glassware were produced through free blowing or blowing into the mould and were decorated through techniques such as moulded patterns, sculpture, carvings and stamping. The mass production of glassware in the old Sirjan proves that during 3rd - 5th AH, the city of Sirjan acted as the great prosperity center for glassware products

From the archaeological point of view, pottery contains valuable information about living conditions and economic, social and cultural interactions between peoples who live in a region or beyond in past. Identifying the pottery characteristics and its common styles in the region are the first steps for extracting and analyzing this information. Parthian-Sassanian pottery in the east of Iran consists of prominent features that show transregional interactions along with the persistence of local traditions. The collection of pottery sherds newly found in the Neh plain and the Chaharfarsakh Valley of the Nehbandan county provide indicative properties of the traditional pottery styles in eastern Iran during the Parthian and Sassanian periods. Comparative study of the diagnostic Parthian-Sasanian potteries of Sisatn and southern Khorasan demonstrates a close relationship between the pottery traditions of these two regions. Accordingly, the materials wich used as temper and the style of decorations bear an equal resemblance. This resemblance can be detected also in the form of the ceramics from Nehbandan with those from the historical sites of Sistan. Moreover, almost all of the potteries were manufactured using the wheel and only the sherds belonged to the handles, lids, or spouts are handmade. The study of potteries from the Nehbandan county shows that the historical processes in the Parthian and Sassanian periods and passing important roads such as the ancient Khorasan–Sistan route through the region have had a profound impact on the making and processing methods in the manufacturing of the potteries. This study shows that some styles in the Nehbandan region have indigenous and local traits, following the common pottery patterns in the east of Iran. A considerable number of studied cases are influenced by the prevalent designs in Iran which are comparable to the Parthian–Sassanian cultural centres. This is understandable in the context of historical events and cultural trends during the Parthian–Sassanian period

Iran's eastern borders have been constantly affected by various events, especially the arrival of different ethnic groups in Central Asia in the form of migration or invasion. However, ancient sources provide researchers with little knowledge of such events, and this little information is specific to incidents that were widely considered a threat to the central government of Iran. Therefore, written sources do not answer the questions of archaeologists on political, military, various urban planning, and cultural interactions of Iran with its eastern neighbors. On the other hand, extensive and continuous field research that purposefully answers such questions has been limited and scattered. One of these researches is the purposeful activities that have been carried out in the middle part of the Kopet Dag -Aladagh corridor in the north of Khorasan in the last decade; and this has become the basis for the formation of other research by other researchers in this geographical area (albeit limited). "Tas Tape" is one of the sites in the northeast of Iran. Its location is in the middle part of the Kopet Dag -Aladagh corridor and the east of Quchan city. According to the results of two seasons of field research, this site is one of the important sites of the Parthian period that has been settled until the Sassanid period. Around Tas Tape, a large settlement site was identified during additional studies after archeological surveys in Quchan city. The existence of questions about the synchronicity of the settlement with the fort hill, how the two parts are related to each other, and the continuation of life until the Sassanid period led to the definition of a long-term research project to answer the questions and better understand this ancient monument. This article is based on the research conducted in the first season of this site, which includes reviewing the area of the site, geomagnetic surveys, and sounding for delimitation of the Tas Tape site. The results of this season include the identification of a site from the Parthian period with an area of 80 hectares, which consists of two parts: a) Fort mound b) Unenclosed settlement. According to preliminary results, the settlement probably was only in the Parthian period, but the fort hill was used until the Sassanid period. The Clinky pottery is the most significant cultural find on this site in terms of chronology and distribution of this type of pottery. The location of this site is also very remarkable because it is the link of the north of Kopet Dag sites, including Nisa, into the Iranian plateau.