فصلنامه اثر
پیاپی 95 (زمستان 1400)

Saray is a common name in the dictionary of Iranian architecture that has been used in the historical texts of the Ilkhanate era to refer to the residential complexes of the patriarchs in Iran and the Mongol dynasty in China and Mongolia. The term Gong is also used in Yuan historical texts to refer to the residential complexes of the Mongol dynasty in China and Mongolia. The simultaneous use of these two words in Iranian and Chinese sources for two dynasties with common cultural roots, leads to theories about the existence of similarities and possible effects between them. This study tries to answer the questions based on the latest archaeological documents and historical sources. What are the characteristics of the royal collections of the Mongol khans in Mongolia and the Ilkhans in Iran?  What are the similarities and differences between these two groups? The data of this article were collected by documentary methods, visual observation, and comparison of the obtained findings. Then the data were categorized by comparative studies between the Mongol dynasty's Gongs in China and Mongolia and the Ilkhanate dynasty's  Sarays in Iran. The results of this study showed that the Mongol Gongs and Ilkhanate Sarays were similar to each other in terms of general structures and location in cities or outside the cities, and the only difference between them was in the way the buildings were arranged. Iranian Sarays were designed with four porches, and in Mongolian Gongs, the form of curran was used.

Hajilerchai region is located in Varzeqan city of East Azerbaijan province, Iran. Archaeological surveys of the area were conducted to clarify the settlement landscape of the area. A total of thirty sites were identified in the area. There are two bronze age sites identified by means of an archaeological surface survey in the region. Hajilarchai area of Varzeqan is one of the lesser-known parts, about which archeological research has not been done so far. This study was first conducted by field research. Then, using the GIS maps, the exact landscape of the area was determined, and the settlement patterns were explained. In this study, in addition to general characteristics and pathology, each site was introduced separately, presenting the area's settlement pattern. With a descriptive-analytical approach, this research tried to answer how the settlement patterns have changed in different historical periods. With the beginning of the historical and Islamic period, especially the Parthian period, the region has enjoyed certain prosperity and development. This study showed that most of the ancient sites along the Hajilerchai River are located at the tributaries of the Aras River, and environmental conditions and proximity to the river have played an essential role in establishing settlements.

Petroglyph is one of the arts whose sculpture has continued from the Paleolithic period to the present day. This art is found in almost all parts of the world. So far, a large number of rock motifs have been identified and introduced, a large part of which is located in the Central Zagros, especially in western Iran (Kurdistan Province). In this study, during archeological studies in 2020, newly discovered lithographs of Zarrineh in mountainous areas at a distance of 1.5 km west of Zarrineh village were examined. The research method in this article is fieldwork along with a historical-comparative-analytical approach. In the field section, the site in Kurdistan province has been studied. In the historical section, books, articles, and reports related to the subject are examined. The main research questions include: What designs do Zarrineh drawings contain? What are the themes of the golden motifs? What areas are Zarrineh lithographs comparable to? What is the relative chronology of the area? Zarrineh lithographic motifs include motifs in the form of collections of images of animals (horse, goat, leopard, camel), geometric (cross, wheel), tools (bow and arrow, bow, cane), and human figures. The paintings are stylized and volumetric and have been created on igneous rocks. The figures narrate scenes that are directly related to the thoughts and ideas of past peoples. Even in recent years, these motifs have shown the continuation of a long tradition. The motifs can be traced back to the Iron Age or later. The lithographs can be compared and analyzed in terms of style, technique, and variety of similarities with the regions within the Iranian plateau, especially Azerbaijan (Songun Arasbaran) and Lorestan (Bauki Azna). The study of these works in western Iran is important because these works are located in a region that has always been considered as a strategic passage between different ethnic groups from prehistoric times to Islamic periods.

The Sassanid dynasty was one of the important historical periods in Iran and one of the powerful governments in the ancient civilized world. Despite the many ups and downs, Sasanids ruled for over four centuries, and in addition to maintaining the heritage and the achievements of previous governments, provided an opportunity for developing the science, literature, and art of Iran. Laying the groundwork for a socio-cultural platform, music played an essential role as a modern language and a social link. The main question of this research is to investigate the importance of music in the social structure of ancient Iran, especially the Sassanid era, and its functional similarities with contemporary societies. This means that the social functions of music of that period have been investigated by studying ancient evidence and sociological analysis of them. The data were collected by reviewing the literature on this matter. The current study tried to examine the importance of music during the Sassanid era, especially at different social levels. The importance of music in the social structure of ancient Iran, especially during the Sassanid era, and its functional similarities with contemporary societies, have further increased the necessity of an interdisciplinary view of this issue. This historical and social view of the artistic subjects will redefine the existing values of the philosophy of art and its theoretical basis towards the socialization of art in present cultural planning. Especially now that the position of music is in its most stable social state, it is time to study how to create qualitive techniques based on human value applications using the historical experience of this land.

Historical markets are one of the most important cultural-historical capitals of any country, reflecting its inhabitants' various aspects of life, and Tabriz Historic Bazaar, the largest indoor brick structure globally and the only commercial-traditional work registered in Iran in the World Heritage List, is no exception. Various natural and human factors have constantly threatened historical markets, and a variety of natural disasters have been placed alongside the threats of human actions as a detrimental factor to historical monuments. The protection of historical monuments requires the acquisition of special knowledge and skills, one of which is the knowledge of crisis management in this type of particular place. The first stage of this knowledge is sufficient knowledge about the historical monument's nature and the behavior of those interested in this monument. Therefore, enough knowledge about the strength, spatial power, type of events, and the types of behaviors of those who share interest so that the appropriate preventive actions are predicted. The present study is applied in terms of purpose and descriptive in terms of method, which has been done to identify and analyze crises and physical hazards in the Tabriz Historic Bazaar based on the mentioned factors and hierarchical analysis process. The number of risk factors identified in this study was 9. These items were reduced to three main hazards (earthquake, fire, and deliberate destruction of the structure by the marketers) after prioritization. Personal data analysis was performed using Expert Choice software. Finally, according to the research findings, practical suggestions for crisis prevention are presented.

Tombstones have been an integral part of the idea of ​​death among all societies from ancient times to the present day. They have been used as an essential tool for objective and spiritual manifestations. One of the important areas in the field of study of such works in the region of East Azerbaijan is Varzeqan. Some of the cemeteries of the Islamic era of this city have tombstones in different shapes and decorated with various motifs that are worth studying and documenting. This research, using descriptive-comparative, analytical method and based on field and library studies, seeks objectives such as studying the tombstones of the Islamic period, classifying the shapes of tombstones, and examining the decorative motifs in them. The results showed that these tombstones are generally formed from the Ilkanid period to the contemporary. The tombstones in these cemeteries are divided into four general categories in terms of appearance, box, cradle, an animal stone statue and a staircase. There are figures such as plants, tools, geometry, and altar and inscriptions on them. Also, other results of this study showed that the created themes reflect the religious, social, and ethnic beliefs of the region's residents. In general, the main purpose of the present study, while classifying and separating the forms and motifs of tombstones of 18 cemeteries, is to analyze the etymology of some forms of tombs and artistic motifs of tombstones in Varzeqan. Given that many of these tombstones are in danger of being destroyed, it is necessary to study and record their information.

A neighborhood is a separate environment characterized by different structural features and social characteristics of the residents. In this connection, library studies and field surveys were conducted while direct observation was made to achieve effective social stability indicators in neighborhoods. Thus, two prominent passes in two different neighborhoods in the historical context of Shiraz were investigated. The present research falls under applied studies from an objective point of view and is a hybrid one from a nature perspective, which involves a content analysis based on library sources that help meet main research data. Then, a survey method via field visits was conducted to understand the research objectives better. The research findings are a combination of findings from documentary and case and field studies about the Bazarchey-e-Fil pass in the Es'haagh Beig and HajZeinal Pass in the Sang-e Siah Neighborhoods in the historical parts of Shiraz. Because the research sought to better understand the main nature of the neighborhood concept by considering social stability principles, environment perception and historical context neighborhood indicators were categorized, and the quality of the perception of the environment was examined. In sum, the indicators about positive and negative aspects were provided using case examples. The spaces where one could smell bread at bakeries and sweet at confectionaries were factors contributing to collective life. On the other hand, places with historical backgrounds were regarded to help identify and promote a perception of the environment. Thus, to understand the urban environment, social stability is seen as a major component of Shiraz's historic neighborhoods.

Sirjan is one of the most important cities of Kerman province, which was relocated three times in historical and Islamic periods and was founded in the present-day downtown in the Qajar period. Thus far, historians and researchers have expressed various views about the city's formation, destruction, and relocation in different periods. According to the archaeological studies, new information was obtained that is particularly important in analyzing and evaluating previous views. This study analyzes and criticizes previous views measuring them by written sources and archaeological data obtained from field research, and seeks to clarify the historical developments of Sirjan city. In fact, it aims to reject, criticize and challenge previous views about this city by pinpointing logical reasons. Owing to the importance of Sirjan city in the Islamic era and regarding the numerous views expressed about its relocations and fall, it was necessary to write this article to fill the study gaps in this field based on the latest findings.
Furthermore, this study aimed to provide new information and acceptable results about the city based on written sources and new archaeological studies by challenging the previous hypotheses. New findings explained how the formation, development, and particularly the location and relocation of Sirjan occurred in different periods showing that we must re-read the documents.

The historical-cultural site of the Tāq-e Bostān is located in the Porav-Biston Mountain range. This area is attributed to the Sassanid era, which includes three main parts of stone reliefs so-called "the Great Arch", "the Small Arch" and "the Relief of Ardeshir II". Since its creation, this site has been constantly exposed to environmental factors and has rarely been studied in terms of decay. Therefore, this study was conducted to investigate the decay patterns of stone reliefs by field studies and macroscopic surveys. Studies have shown that the crusts (mainly in the Great Arch) have covered the surface of the reliefs in orange to brown and even gray tones. In particular, on the western side of the Great Arch, these crusts have distorted most of the reliefs. The small arch and the relief of Ardeshir II are less affected by surficial crust. The reason of crust formation on the reliefs of the Great Arch is mainly the outflow of water from the natural channels inside the rock, so that by sprinkling among the reliefs, it has caused transfer and then deposition of dissolved minerals. Some microorganisms and bacterial residues are observed in the Relief of the Tree of Life, the motifs of the angel, the walls on the east and west sides of the small arch, and the Reliefs of Ardeshir II. Due to lichen activity in these areas, the pitting pattern has caused distortion and roughness of the surface. Also, the restoration interventions such as cement used to fill the rock veins have caused the formation of effloresces and microcracks in the surrounding areas. Therefore, from the point of decay patterns, it became clear that the water flowing and the dissolution occurred by this phenomenon, along with the activity of microorganisms and previous incorrect interventions, are the most important factors of deterioration of the surfaces of reliefs of the Tāq-e Bostān.

Water-mills, as ecological crafts, were not limited to the function of turning grain into flour but also brought about social relations, economic exchange, cultural contact, and people connection. The Kahak Water-Mill is an unknown building from the early Qajar period, located in the Marzdaran neighborhood of Tehran, as evidence of the lifestyle of ancient Tehran, Iran. Today, the development of Tehran has left the building abandoned, and the originality and integrity of the building have been damaged. This study's main purpose is to recognize the Kahak Water-Mill building in terms of history, function, and architecture. Literature reviews and field studies have been used to collect the necessary information. Kahak Water-Mill, as part of a complex, was an important place in Kahak village, and today, losing parts of that complex, including the garden and the connection of components such as the water with the mill, has blemished its identity and the complex with the damaged connections must be restored.