Mendeley  

Zotero  

Zarei M E, Keikha M. (2026). Research on the Real Identity of Bibidoost Hills of Sistan, Based on of Reading Ancient Sources and Study of Archaeological Findings with Emphasis on Pottery. Parseh J. Archaeol. Stud.. 10(36), 159-187. doi:10.66224/PJAS.710.354.2
URL: http://journal.richt.ir/mbp/article-1-710-en.html

Bibi Doost Tepe series around Bonjar city of the central part of Zabol city in the north of Sistan and Baluchistan province along the Niyatak channel in a north-south direction. These series of Tepe due to its Massive volume of cultural materials, especially pottery samples and the proximity to the Zahedan Kohne site the second government House of Sistan in the Islamic era it is of special importance in the Studies of Archaeology and History of Sistan, accordingly with the issuance of a license from the Archaeological Research Institute in 2016, speculation to determine the area and privacy done. In this study 877 pieces of pottery related to the Islamic era were identified, recorded and studied. Examples mentioned in four groups: Simple unglazed pottery, no engraved glaze, Simple glazed and Glazed engraved were located. in this research an attempt was made to start Study ancient sources and Archaeological Researches the Real Identity of Bibi Doost Tepe in the North of Zahedan Kohne Then, the samples of pottery collected from the level of Bibi Doost Tepe should be applied to: their typology and relative dating. The results of the studies indicate that it is important that the Bibi Doost Tepe are part of the second capital of Sistan due to its location in the area of Zahedan Kohne. And the results of the study conducted on its pottery also informs about the technique of making high quality pottery in the Islamic era, in the north of Sistan plain. The results of the studies also clearly show the cultural connection of this region with the Baluchistan basins of Iran and Afghanistan, Greater Khorasan, Kerman, Central Plateau and parts of Central Asia. The present study intends to provide a ground for illuminating a part of the Islamic era of Sistan by conducting a scientific and methodical study.
Keywords: Sistan, Bibi Doost Tepe Series, Pottery Of The Islamic Period, Reading Ancient Sources, Typological Comparison.   

Introduction
Sistan and Baluchistan province with an area of about 187,502 square kilometers is equivalent to 9.1% of the area of Iran, of which 8,117 kilometers are related to the Sistan region (Najjar Salighe, 2015: 25). Citing historical sources, there is no doubt that the land of Sistan had great importance and capabilities during the Islamic era. The site of Bibi Doost, in the form of a series of continuous Tepe on the western edge and along the Niyatak channel in the north of Zabol city, in the north of Sistan region, at an altitude of 493 meters above sea level and in the geographical position N: 3106740 and E:6136897 can be seen. Considering the proximity of this series of Tepe to the Zahedan Kohne area, a systematic archaeological investigation of the Bibi Doost area with the aim of determining the identity of these Tepe, discovering the history of settlement, types of pottery and how it has cultural relations with other Neighboring points were put on the agenda and efforts were made to provide appropriate answers to existing questions by conducting scientific studies on the collected terracotta samples and reading ancient sources.
Research method: The research method in this research is descriptive, comparative-analytical. which is based on two parts of field investigations and the use of library resources. The field method in this research is that after preparing and drawing the topographical map of the region, which includes an area of about 30 square kilometers, by 8 experts in a step-by-step survey, compacted at distances of 50 meters from each other. It has been surveyed that during this survey, 877 pieces of pottery related to the Islamic era were identified, collected, recorded and studied from all the existing structures. In addition, the sampling process, which was considered the most important part of the field method, was done randomly and categorized by indicators.
Research questions: 1) Based on the reading of the ancient sources and the study of the pottery of the Bibi Doost hill series, can this area be considered a part of the ancient city of Zahedan Kohne? 2) What types of pottery from the Islamic era can be identified in the Bibi Doost hill range? 3) In what time period are the studied pottery findings dated? 4. Based on the pottery findings, how are its regional and extra-regional connections evaluated?

Discussion
In this research, an effort was made to study the distribution of ancient structures in the Bibi Doost area and their proximity to the Zahedan Kohne area in accordance with the predetermined goals. Due to the extensive destruction of Zahedan Kohne city and the change of its cultural and ancient landscape, an effort was made to use ancient sources and archeological finds (potteries) in order to know its exact extent. In the first part of the research, based on the reading of ancient sources, it was determined that the series of Tepe of Bibi Doost is a wide area of ancient monuments, which is completely different from the point of view of the types of pottery, the date of settlement, the type and structure of the structures and the references of the texts. It can be mentioned as part of the old books of Rabaz city Zahedan Kohne, the second Government House of Sistan (Kiekha, 2016: 1120-1120). For example, Qasim-Abad mill or Kusang mill, which is probably the minaret of the mosque or the caravanserai mill in the area of Zahedan Kohne city Rabd (Landour, 1999: 635 & 652), is currently among the ancient monuments of the Tepe dynasty. It is located in the center of Bibi Doost, which indicates that the scattered structures in the Bibi Doost area are in full connection with the Zahedan Kohne area. In the continuation of the research and in order to answer other questions, it was tried to study and investigate the types of terracotta in the Bibi Doost hill range. Regarding the classification and typology of the pottery of the Islamic era of the Bibi Doost Tepe series, which led to the identification of more than 18 types and subspecies of pottery, it shows that the potters of Sistan used various methods of production. and the decoration of pottery of the Islamic era. Then, the pottery samples of Bibi Doost area, which are considered the most important documents for the chronology of this area, were compared with the samples and pottery vessels found in the explored and investigated areas. they got. The results of the studies of the samples and the comparisons show that the pottery of the Bibi Doost hill series in the middle centuries of Islam (4 and 5 to 9 centuries A.H.) can be dated. are set This importance is completely consistent with the rise and fall of the Sistan plain and its centrality at that time, which is the city of Zahedan Kohne. In the end, the results of the typological comparisons of the pottery samples of the Bibi Doost area clearly show the similarity of these samples with the pottery of the neighboring areas, especially Khorasan.

Conclusion
Studying the architectural structures scattered in the Bibi Doost hill range, at first glance, due to the high amount of destruction, their identification and connection with the Zahedan Kohne area was almost impossible. Therefore, an effort was made to identify the true identity of these Tepe by reading ancient texts and studying the surface pottery of this area. Taking into account the different parts of the city of Zahedan Kohne that were known earlier (five separate parts called the Castle or fortress, the first citadel, the second citadel, Sharstan and Rabd), now we can The chain of Tepe known as Bibi Doost, which is located in the vicinity of the northwest front of the city of Zahedan Kohne, added a part of the Rabd of this city, which is the second Government House of Sistan. The collection of historical evidences about the foundation and decline of the city of Zahedan Kohne in the Islamic era shows that this city was founded in the 4th and 5th centuries of AH and started to decline in the 9th century of AH. The study of the pottery of the Bibi Doost hill series also confirms the same point. Based on the study of the pottery, the oldest type of pottery in the area is dated to the 4th and 5th centuries of AH and the most recent one is dated to the 9th century of AH, which is completely consistent with the rise and fall. It is located in the city of Zahedan Kohne and another reason is that this series of Tepe is part of the main structure of the city of Zahedan Kohne.