Mendeley  

Zotero  

Karimian H, Norasi H, Ahmadzadeh F, Abobakri T. (2021). Qalat Mutabad Piranshahr: Chronology, Spatial Organization, Form and Function Based on Archaeological Studies. Parseh J Archaeol Stud. 5(15), 213-228. doi:10.30699/PJAS.5.15.213
URL: http://journal.richt.ir/mbp/article-1-454-en.html

Abstract
The historical site of Qalat Mutabad in Piranshahr is of paramount importance in numerous historical and cultural documents such as potteries and brick architectural remains, especially in terms of architectural maps and plans. The existence of a star-shaped plan in the design of the site’s outer fence illustrates the importance and pivotal role of this area in the Piranshahr plain. The site is located beside one of the branches of the Little Zab (or Lower Zab) River, which has been gradually destroyed due to the passage of time and the land-use change, “use as a military base in the contemporary period,” and currently the evidence of the architectural debris of the building at the site is evident. Examples of star-shaped plan design in different parts of Iran, as well as European fortresses, can be observed, and it is comparable to the plan of Qalat Mutabad in this respect. The main problem of this article is to evaluate the site relying on the available documents and evidence so that we study the importance of military forts in the Piranshahr plain while achieving a relative dating of the site. Accordingly, some questions about the architectural structure, especially its plan and the military and residential function of the site arise. According to written historical sources, the study of similar examples, as well as material artifacts at the site level, hypotheses concerning the attribution of the site to the period after Safavid, “Afshar or Qajar,” military function inspired by Western architectural elements, are presented. This study was conducted in a historical, descriptive-analytical method. In addition to studying historical sources and field documentation by the authors at the site, aerial images and data gained from these images were exploited. 
Keywords: Qalat Mut-Abad, Form and Function Based, Star-Shaped Plan, Piranshahr.

Introduction
Qalat Mutabad site with an area of 20 hectares is located in Piranshahr city, 15 kilometers away from Tamrchin border crossing in south of Little Zab River. The plan of the site is star-shaped, overlooking the border crossings. In terms of architectural plan and location, Qalat Mutabad is noticeable and worthy of study.
Significance and Objectives of the Research: Concerning the destruction of the site and the ever-rising expansion of degradation factors, while introducing and recognizing Qalat Mutabad due to the lack of historical and archaeological data of the Islamic periods in Piranshahr, this study can contribute to the completeness of the information.
Questions and Objectives of the Research: Qalat Mutabad belongs to which period? What are the factors affecting the construction and star-shaped design of the site? It seems that this site belongs to the late centuries of Islam. Due to its geographical location and exposure to natural and political boundaries, Qalat Mutabad was built as a fortress and military base to repel the attacks of the Ottoman state or local insurgency.
Methods: The research method in this article is historical, and content analysis is descriptive-analytical. Aerial images explore written historical evidence and archaeological findings.
Literature Review: The historical site of Qalat Mutabad was pointed out in the photo book of Ali Khan Vali (Ali khan vali, 1862-1900: 183). In archaeological investigations, the Qalat Mutabad site with a history of 2500 BC, registration No. 611, was recorded in 1966 (West Azarbaijan Cultural Heritage Archives: 2019). The survey carried out in 2002 reviewed the site of Qalat Mutabad, and the area with historical-Islamic antiquity was registered as the hill of Qala-e-Mut with registration No. 7526 (West Azarbaijan Cultural Heritage Archives: 2019). In the study of Ali Binandeh for the master’s thesis “Archaeological Study of the Little Zab River,” he attributes this site to the Bronze Age, historical and Islamic period (Binandeh, 2008: 73).

Qalat Mutabad
Qalat Mutabad faces multiple problems, including the use of the site as a military base until recent years, industrial workshops in the area and boundary of the site, destruction by agricultural land, construction of garden houses, and the activities of unauthorized diggers. Problems have caused the site to lose its architectural structure and identity. For a detailed study, by utilizing satellite images of the Corona satellite taken in 1969, the site and its architectural structure are initially studied. Using the pictures of Ali Khan Vali’s book, a more accurate study of the site and its architectural evidence will be then addressed.
Below is the recorded photo, taken by Ali Khan Vali in the Qajar period, in which the word Qala-e-Mutabad was exploited. In addition to demonstrating that the site is a fortress, this historical document proves that the name of Mutabad has not been newly known in this area and has historical and old roots (Ali Khan Vali, Ibid: 183). The term Qalat in the Kurdish language means fortress, and it seems that Mutabad has come from the two words Mut + Abad. According to the evidence, before Iran’s Islamic revolution in 1978, there was a village called Motabad, which was evacuated after using the site as a military base in 1978 (Binandeh, Ibid: 73).
In Corona satellite images, the site has two parts of the outer fence with a star-shaped plan and the area’s inner part as a hill with a natural bed. There is a hill with a natural bed in the interior of the site. In unauthorized excavation cuts performed in the site, the thickness of ancient layers up to 2 meters is visible. Based on the Corona satellite images, an almost square-shaped area with suspicious architectural features can be seen at the top of the site.

Conclusion
Due to enjoying environmental potentials and also being located in the border strip of Iran with Mesopotamia, the Piranshahr region has always been a buffer zone due to successive wars from the Safavid period onwards with the formation of Safavid and Ottoman rules. With the coming to power of the Safavids and due to various gaps, local powers such as the Bilbas Tribal Union, the local governments of Savojbolagh Mokri and Urmia in Iran, as well as the local government of Baban in the Ottoman-ruled areas of Sulaimaniyah in Iraq, have turned the Piranshahr area into a scene of regional battles for various political, religious, and ethnic reasons. Historical documents and texts provide concise and beneficial information about the political and military situation in the Piranshahr area. Regional conflicts and wars mainly exhibit the military importance of the region and efforts to rule in it. About the existence of pottery findings and architectural works in the site of Qalat Mutabad and the lack of accurate dating of these findings because of their simplicity and locality, achieving a final decision based on the findings of pottery is impossible. Due to the existence of Corona satellite images and the intactness of the star-shaped plan of the Qalat Mutabad site and the presence of a photo of the site from the Qajar period and naming the site as the fortress, as well as the soundness of parts of the wall, towers, and architectural works in the photo, we can argue that not much time has elapsed since the destruction of the fortress. Accordingly, with comparative studies, the state of the landscape of the site and also the existence of similar examples of military fortresses with regular and star-shaped plans in the post-Safavid period “Afsharieh or Qajarieh” which are made inspired by European elements, the site of Qalat Mutabad can be attributed to Afsharieh or Qajar era.