year 9, Issue 31 (5-2025)
Parseh J Archaeol Stud 2025, 9(31): 233-260 |
Back to browse issues page
Download citation:
BibTeX | RIS | EndNote | Medlars | ProCite | Reference Manager | RefWorks
Send citation to:
BibTeX | RIS | EndNote | Medlars | ProCite | Reference Manager | RefWorks
Send citation to:
Garakani Dashteh S, Mortezaei M. (2025). Exploring the History of Aq-Qalih in Khorasan: Insights from the Ilkhanid’s Periodic Travels and the Urban Structures of the Yuan Era. Parseh J Archaeol Stud. 9(31), 233-260. doi:10.22034/PJAS.1122
URL: http://journal.richt.ir/mbp/article-1-1122-en.html
URL: http://journal.richt.ir/mbp/article-1-1122-en.html
1- Ph.D. of Archaeology, Department of Archaeology, Faculty of Literature and Social Sciences, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran. (Corresponding Author). , shaahin.dashteh@gmail.com
2- Associate Professor, Iranian Center for Archaeological Research (ICAR), Research Institute of Cultural Heritage and Tourism (RICHT), Tehran, Iran.
2- Associate Professor, Iranian Center for Archaeological Research (ICAR), Research Institute of Cultural Heritage and Tourism (RICHT), Tehran, Iran.
Abstract: (940 Views)
The historical fortress of Aq-Qalih, a large and little-known structure in the Juvayn Plain of northern Khorasan, is tentatively attributed to the Mongol Ilkhanid period based on limited prior studies. However, extant Ilkhanid -period documents offer no confirmation of its existence. Therefore, the hypothesis of Ilkhanid construction relies solely on archaeological evidence and the dated inscription of the Aq-Qalih Mosque. This research seeks to establish the significance of Aq-Qalih as a midway settlement along Ilkhanid travel routes in northern Khorasan, utilizing historical documents and GIS analysis. Further, by comparing Aq-Qalih’s structure with contemporaneous structures in Mongol-influenced regions of China and Iran, this study assesses the hypothesis of Ilkhanid construction. The findings indicate Aq-Qalih’s strategic location along major Ilkhanid travel routes, with the Ilkhans’ and their successors’ annual visits increasing the likelihood of a midway settlement. Moreover, structural comparisons with Chinese examples like Shangdu, Daidu, and Yingchang, as well as Sultaniyya in Iran, reveal significant similarities, bolstering the hypothesis of Ilkhanid-era construction.
Type of Study: Research |
Subject:
Special Archeology
Received: 2024/12/27 | Accepted: 2025/03/13 | Published: 2025/05/31
Received: 2024/12/27 | Accepted: 2025/03/13 | Published: 2025/05/31
References
1. - Abdollahzadeh Sani, M., (2014). “Speculations on the Aq-Qalih’s Mosque”. Research Department of the Cultural Heritage Management of Khorasan (Unpublished).
2. - Atwood, C. P., (2015). “Imperial Itinerance and Mobile Pastoralism: The State and Mobility in Medieval Inner Asia”. Inner Asia, 17 (2): 293-349. https: //dx.doi.org/10.1163/22105018-12340046
3. - Bakhtiyari-Shahri, M., (1996). Registration Report of the Ilkhanid City of Aq-Qalih in the List of National Heritage. Mashhad: Research Department of the Cultural Heritage Management of Khorasan.
4. - Banakati, D., (1969). Tarikh-i Banakati. J. Shoʿar (Ed.). Tehran: Anjuman-i Athar-i Milli.
5. - Bayar, D. & Voitov, V. E., (2010). “Excavation in the Islamic cemetery of Karakorum”. In: Mongolian German Karakorum Expedition, 1: 289-305. https: //doi.org/10.34780/133a-8dr5
6. - Becker, E., (2012). “Karakorum: Fragen zum Stadtplan”. Zentralasiatische Studien, 41: 43–88.
7. - Bemmann, J. & Reichert, S., (2021). “Karakorum, The First Capital of the Mongol World Empire: An Imperial City in A Non-Urban Society”. Asian Archaeology, 4(2): 121-143. http: //dx.doi.org/10.1007/s41826-020-00039-x
8. - Bemmann, J., Linzen, S., Reichert, S. & Munkhbayar, L., (2022). “Mapping Karakorum, the capital of the Mongol Empire”. Antiquity 96(385): 159-78. https: //doi.org/10.15184/aqy.2021.153
9. - Etimad al-Saltanih, M. H., (1988). Mirat al-Boldan. A. H; Navaei and Mohaddes M. H., (Eds). Tehran: Tehran University.
10. - Franken, C., Rohland, H., Block-Berlitz, M., Batbayar, T. & Erdenebat, U, (2020). “Remote Sensing of Large-Scale Areas at the Urban Sites of the Mongolian Orkhon Valley Using Low-Cost Drones. Preliminary Results and Some Thoughts on the Urban Layout of the Uyghur Capital Qara Balǧasun”. Remote Sensing, 5 (4): 260-275. https: //doi.org/10.34780/joga.v2020i0.1012
11. - Garakani Dashteh, S. & Mortezaei, M., (2022). Nomadic Khans, Sedentary Emperors (An Analyses of Urban Structures and Architectural Complex in the Three Period of Ilkhanid, Timurid and Turkaman). Tabriz: Projeh Tarjomeh Hasanlu.
12. - Habibi, M., (1999). From Shar to City (Az Shar ta Shahr). Tehran: University of Tehran Press.
13. - Hafiz-i Abru, S. A., (2018). Joqrafiyae-i Hafiz-i Abru Bakhsh-i Khorasan. S. A. Al-i Davood, Tehran: Sokhan & Moqufat-i Afshar
14. - Hatef Naiemi, A., (2019). “A dialogue between friends and foes: transcultural interactions in Ilkhanid capital cities (1256-1335 AD)”. (Doctoral dissertation).
15. - Heravi, S., (2006). Tarikhnam-i Herat. G. H. Tabatabaee majd (Ed.). Tehran: Asatir.
16. - Hüttel, H. G. & Erdenebat, U., (2010). Karabalgasun and Karakorum - Two late nomadic urban settlements in the Orkhon Valley. Archaeological excavation and Research of the German Archaeological Institute (DAI) and the Mongolian Academy of Sciences 2000-2009. Ulan Bator: Gedruckt mit Unterstützung der Deutschen Botschaft.
17. - Isfahanian, D. & Khazaeli, A., (2002). “Newly Established Cities in the Ilkhanid Period”. Name-i Anjoman, 6: 60-70.
18. - Isfahanian, D. & Khazaeli, A., (2003). “Urban Development in Iran during the Mongol Era”. Journal of Geography and Urban Planning, 12: 9-34.
19. - Juvayni, A. M., (2008). Tarikh-i Jahangushay. M. Qzavini (Ed.). Tehran: Negah.
20. - Kashani, A. M., (1969). Tarikh-i Oljeytu. M. Hambly (Ed.). Tehran: Bungah-i Tarjuma va Nashr-i Kitab.
21. - Kavian, M., Gholami, G. & Abdollahzadeh Sani, M., (2016). “Agh Qala: An Unknown Measure of the New Foundations of Ilkhanid Arts”. Fourth Congress on the History of Architecture and Urbanism in Iran, Mashhad, 107-118.
22. - Khafi, F., (2007). Mojmal fasihi.. M. Naji Nasrabadi (Ed.). Vol.3, Tehran: Asatir.
23. - Khwandamir, G., (2001). Tarikh-i Habib al-Siyar. M. Dabirsiaghi (Ed.). Tehran: Khayyam.
24. - Le Strange, G., (1905). The lands of the Eastern caliphate: Mesopotamia, Persia, and central Asia, from the Moslem conquest to the time of Timur. Vol. 4. CUP Archive.
25. - Liu, Q., (2023). A History of Un-fractured Chinese Civilization in Archaeological Interpretation. Singapore: Springer Nature. https: //doi.org/10.1007/978-981-19-3946-4
26. - Labbaf khaniki, R., (1988). “Exploratory Report in the Historical City of Aq-Qalih in Sabzevar”. Documentation Center of the Cultural Heritage Organization (Unpublished).
27. - Masuya, T., (2013). “Seasonal Capitals with Permanent Buildings in the Mongol Empire”. In: Turko-Mongol Rulers, Cities and City Life, D. Durand-Guédy, (ed.), Leiden: Brill: 223-256. https: //doi.org/10.1163/9789004257009_008
28. - Melville, C., (1990). “The Itineraries of Sultan Öljeitü 1304–16”. Iran, 28(1): 55-70. https: //doi.org/10.2307/4299835
29. - Mirkhwand, M., (2006). Rawdat al-safa fi sirat al-anbia va al-moluk va al-kholafa. J. Kianfar(Ed). Tehran: Asatir.
30. - Mustawfi, H., (2019). Nuzhat Al-Qulub. G. Le Strange (Ed.). Tehran: Asatir.
31. - Nakhjavani, M. H., (1976). Dastur Al-Katib fi Taʿyin Al-Maratib. A. Alizadih (Ed.). Moscow: The Oriental Institute of Azerbaijan.
32. - Pirnia, K. & Memarian, G. H., (2008). Iranian Architecture. Tehran: Sorush-i Danish.
33. - Pohl, E., (2007). “Interpretation without excavation: Topographic mapping on the territory of the first Mongolian capital Karakorum”. In: Current Archaeological Research in Mongolia: Papers from the First International Conference on “Archaeological Research in Mongolia” Ulaanbaatar, 505-533.
34. - Pohl, E., Mönkhbayar, L., Ahrens, B., Frank, K., Linzen, S., Osinska, A., Schüler, T. & Schneider, M., (2012). “Production sites in Karakorum and its environment: a new archaeological project in the Orkhon Valley, Mongolia”. The Silk Road, 10: 49-65.
35. - Rezvan Ghahfarokhi, H. & Karimian, H., (2017). Soltaniyeh Fall and Rise of a Capital. Tehran: Jahad-i Daneshagah-i Tehran.
36. - Ribino, H. L., (1924). Mazandaran and Astarabad. Cairo: Etemad.
37. - Rogers, J. D., Erdenebat, U. & Gallon. M., (2005). “Urban centres and the emergence of empires in Eastern Inner Asia”. Antiquity, 79 (306): 801-818. https: //doi.org/10.1017/S0003598X00114942
38. - Rogers, J. D. E., Ulambayar, U. & Gallon, M., (2004). “A Survey of Urban Centers in Central Mongolia”. In: The Hovsgol Deer Stone 2003 Field Report, W. W. Fitzhugh, (ed.), Washington D.C: Arctic Studies Center: 70-9. https: //doi.org/10.5479/sil.759709.39088011260130
39. - Samarkandi, K. A., (2004). Matla-i sa’dayn wa majma-i Bahrayn. A. H. Nawai (Ed.). Vol.2, Tehran: Institute for humanities and cultural studies.
40. - Shiraishi, N., (2006). “Avraga Site: The’Great Ordū’of Genghis Khan”. In: Beyond the Legacy of Genghis Khan, L. Komaroff (Ed.), Leiden-Boston: Brill: : 81-93. https: //doi.org/10.1163/9789047418573_012
41. - Steinhardt, N. S., (1983). “The plan of Khubilai Khan’s imperial city”. Artibus Asiae, 44(2/3): 137-158. https: //doi.org/10.2307/3249595
42. - Steinhardt, N. S., (1988). “Imperial architecture along the Mongolian road to Dadu”. Ars Orientalis, 18, 59-93.
43. - Steinhardt, N. S., (1999). Chinese imperial city planning. Hawaii: University of Hawaii Press.
44. - Steinhardt, N. S., (2024). Yuan: Chinese Architecture in a Mongol Empire. New Jersey: University of Princeton Press. https: //doi.org/10.1515/9780691253350
Send email to the article author
| Rights and permissions | |
 |
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. |