Pottery has long been one of the key mediums for expressing cultural elements in Iran. The decorative motifs used in this art form are deeply rooted in Iranian culture, literature, religion, and political contexts, immortalized through the innovative creativity of Iranian artists. Among these motifs, the “Waq Tree” or “Talking Tree” stands out as one of the most prominent decorative elements, particularly gaining attention during the Ilkhanid period. This motif, which combines natural, imaginative, and mythical elements, was employed in the luster tiles of Takht-e Soleyman and reflects a profound connection between humans, nature, and animals. This study aims to address why this motif was prominently featured and executed by artists during the early Ilkhanid rule at Abaqa Khan’s palace in Takht-e Soleyman. It seeks to explore both visual representations of the examples and their associated cultural foundations. Using a descriptive, analytical, and historical approach, supported by imaging of historical samples, this research concludes that the painters of Takht-e Soleyman’s luster tiles depicted wild animals such as deer, gazelles, and rabbits instead of humans—who are typically central to illustrations of the Talking Tree. The choice of wild animals over human figures may reflect the nature-oriented tendencies of the Seljuks and Mongols. This selection also highlights the influence of Mongol culture on Iranian art—a culture that introduced animal anthropomorphism as a prominent element in literature and art. The Waq Tree, rooted in Iranian and global folklore, symbolizes a deep connection between humans, nature, and living beings. This mythological concept is intertwined with ideas such as the sanctity of nature and the bond between the human world and the natural world. The depiction of this motif on Takht-e Soleyman’s luster tiles demonstrates the artists’ efforts to convey these concepts, which were innovatively reimagined during the Ilkhanid era.

The city of Sahneh, located 54 kilometers northeast of Kermanshah in the central Zagros passage, plays a crucial role as a strategic crossroads, linking the Iranian central plateau to Mesopotamia and connecting the internal plains of Kermanshah to Hamadan. Archaeological surveys in Sahneh County, conducted in 2003, employed the site survey method, whereby all ancient sites were studied in terms of their geographical location and settlement sequence. This approach provides the necessary data for interpreting the settlement history of the region. As a result of this field research, for the first time, two archaeological sites containing cultural materials from the Middle Elamite period were identified in this area. This discovery significantly extends the cultural domain of the Middle Elamite period in the Zagros toward the east and northeast, indicating that the influence of this civilization extended beyond its known centers in the southwestern provinces of Iran (such as Khuzestan, Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad, Fars, and Bushehr) as far as Kermanshah Province. Given the importance of these findings, further surveys were carried out in 2024 and 2025 to identify Middle Elamite sites in Sahneh. Following this research, two additional sites with Middle Elamite cultural materials were discovered. These findings not only confirm the existence of an active cultural-commercial corridor in this region but also highlight the necessity of revising cultural-geographical maps and historical developments of the Middle Elamite period in the central Zagros. Continued studies and targeted excavations at these sites can clarify the role of this region in the network of cultural interactions between the Iranian Plateau and Mesopotamia and are expected to lead to a fundamental reassessment of current perspectives on the history of this era.

Abstract
The Upper Gotvand Dam, with a 90-kilometer-long lake, is one of the largest dams in the country, and its impoundment caused the flooding of a large number of ancient sites, ancient and modern migration routes, villages, and nomadic settlements in the northeastern region of Khuzestan. Before the dam was completed, a team of archaeologists surveyed its basin in 2007. After that, in 2008, a team of archaeologists from ICHTO of Khuzestan Province excavated the Kalantar site and the Kalantar cemetery, and then in April and May 2010, salvage excavations were carried out at Kalantar 4 & 5 sites to obtain as much information as possible, which yielded significant results. Following the excavation of the Kalantar 5 site, traces of residential stone architecture, plain buff and red pottery, and turquoise blue and green glazed pottery, as well as some ground stones such as grinding stones, mortars, and pounding stones, were found. According to typological comparisons on the potteries, it was determined that they belonged to the Middle Islamic period (fifth and sixth centuries AH), and the site was inhabited during the Seljuk period. In addition, it was determined that there is a great similarity between the stone architecture of the Kalantar 4 (a Neo-Elamite site), and the Kalantar 5, and with the local architecture of the region in the present time, both in villages and in nomadic settlements. In other words, the continuity of cultural traditions over several millennia is observed in this area.
Keywords: Kalantar 5, Gotvand Dam Basin, Middle Islamic Period, Stone Architecture, Islamic Glazed Pottery.

Introduction
The Upper Gotvand Dam was built on the Karun River near the small town of Gotvand to generate electricity and irrigate downstream agricultural lands, and a wide range of intermountain valleys, numerous ancient sites, ancient and modern migration routes, villages, and nomadic settlements were submerged in the 90-kilometer-long lake behind the dam. Before the dam was impounded, two teams led by Shahram Zare and Hossein Azizi Kharanghi, respectively, surveyed the area (Azizi Kharanghi et al., 2007). Salvage excavations were conducted by Hamidreza Valipour on two sites, Kalantar 4 and 5, which were found during the surveys in the spring of 2010 (Valipour, 2010a & b). The preliminary results of the excavation of Kalantar 5 will be presented here.
The first goal of the excavation, like all salvage excavations, was to access as much information as possible. Due to the proximity of Kalantar 5 to Kalantar 4 and the similarity of its surface architectural structure with the architecture of Kalantar 4, the excavation team was faced with some questions, the most important of which were: 1- Is Kalantar 5 an extension of the Kalantar 4 settlement and can we consider them as one site? 2- Was the settlement in Kalantar 5 established after the abandonment of Kalantar 4 and as a result of the displacement of its residents? 3- Does Kalantar 5 belong to a different time than Kalantar 4? Of course, given the presence of Islamic pottery on the surface of Kalantar 5, it was assumed that this area, in addition to the Elamite period, would also contain evidence of settlement from this period. 4- Function and type of settlement in Kalantar5.

Kalantar 5
Kalantar 5 is located on a natural hill south of Kalantar village (Ab Zālu Arab) in Lali County, at N: 32˚ 13΄ 42/6˝ latitude and E: 049˚ 04΄ 55/4˝ longitude, 160 meters north of Kalantar 4 and 13 kilometers east of the Gotvand Dam. The highest point of the site is 278 meters above sea level. The Karun River, the closest major water source to the site, flows 4.5 kilometers northeast of the site; a water stream also passes through the valley to the northwest.
During the excavation, one trench was opened at the highest part of the site, measuring 10×10 meters, where the regular stone pieces and traces of walls indicated the existence of architectural spaces in this part of the site. Given the depth of the natural bedrock, it was clear before the excavation began that not much height of the walls remained.

Architecture
A total of six architectural spaces were revealed during the excavation in Trench I. Stone and mud mortar were used in all the architectural structures. The stones used in the construction of the different parts of the complex are soft limestone in small to large sizes. All the stones lack cutting polish but have an almost regular shape. Many of the stones used in the architectural structures are cubed. The walls are rectangular. The walls lack any covering, and even during the excavation in the rubble layers, no samples of mud, plaster, or lime were found. The six aforementioned spaces seem to belong to the same building because they all share walls. It is possible that the natural bedrock of the hill was used as a floor for the spaces. Stone supports were used in addition to all the main and internal load-bearing walls. The entrances were mainly created by not connecting two walls or by cutting off part of the length of a wall. Next to some walls, there are smaller annexed spaces as storage places, which were probably used to store daily necessities or food or fuel, and they lacked any entrance and were accessed from above. A pyrotechnical structure was found inside one of the spaces, about one-fifth of which remains. Since a very small part of it remains, it is difficult to distinguish its function as an oven or else. No evidence of a roof or debris was found during the excavation. Given the relatively small width of the spaces and the absence of columns, the roofs of the spaces were most likely created using parallel wooden poles and covered with mats or tree branches and mud. This reconstruction was carried out in comparison with the current situation in the village adjacent to the site. The reason for this comparison is the great similarity of the architecture obtained from the settlement spaces of the site with the architecture of the adjacent village.

Pottery
The 319 potsherds recovered from the excavation are divided into two major groups: plain and glazed. 265 sherds (83%) of the total are unglazed. Unglazed pottery can be divided into two groups: buff and red. The technology of pottery production is completely similar in terms of form, manufacturing technique, inclusion, firing, and decoration. Most of the sherds are wheel-made (96%). The inner and outer surfaces of the pottery are unpolished, and both sides of the vessels are smoothed by the wet hand method. Rarely, red wash was used to cover a handful of buff wares. The texture of buff ware is much more cohesive than that of red ware. Mineral materials such as fine to coarse sand were used as an inclusion in unglazed pottery; in one of the red potteries, the inclusion is a combination of organic and mineral materials. In general, the quality of buff-colored pottery is better than that of reds, and the number of buff sherds is much greater than that of reds. 236 sherds (74% of all pottery and 89% of unglazed pottery) are buff, and 29 sherds (9% of all pottery and 11% of unglazed pottery) are red. There are 10 sherds of pottery with incised decoration in the unglazed buff group.
54 pieces (17%) of the pottery are glazed. Except for two pieces with green glaze, the rest are turquoise blue. The pottery of this group is in the category of pottery with monochromatic glaze. Five pieces are also of the sgraffiato type with turquoise blue glaze. In terms of form, manufacturing technique, inclusion, firing, and color, these sherds are completely similar to the unglazed buff wares. The inclusion of all samples is mineral.
The reconstructed forms are the jar (44.5%), bowl (37%), and bowl (18.5%), respectively. The sherds date back to the 5th and 6th centuries AH and are dated to the Seljuk period (Karimi & Kiani, 1985; Towhidi, 2000; Kambakhshfard, 2001; Grube, 1994; Treptow, 2007).

Other Cultural Materials
In addition to pottery, other cultural materials recovered included animal remains, pounding stones, stone mortars, pivots, iron nails, iron knife, the bottom, rim, and body of transparent or opaque glass vessels in blue, yellow, and milky colors, as well as a few broken shells.

Conclusion
Kalantar 5 is a rural settlement site from the Middle Islamic period because considering the landscape of the region, the location of the site, the extent of the architectural remains, and the dispersion of cultural materials, it is unlikely that the settlement was urban. There is no connection between the sites of Kalantar 4 and 5 from a cultural and temporal perspective. An interesting point to note is the similarity of the architectural structures of this site with the architecture of Kalantar 4 and the modern village of Ab Zālū Arab and other nomadic villages and settlements in the region. With an ethnoarchaeological approach, this similarity can be considered a kind of cultural continuity in architecture. Perhaps the same environmental and subsistence conditions can be considered the reason for the construction of similar architecture over a long period.
The buildings were constructed using completely local materials, such as stone and mud. All the stones are limestone, ranging in size from small to large, and are uncut and unpolished but have a fairly regular shape, and many of the stones have been broken using chisels and hammers. It seems that the six identified spaces had both roofed and open sections. The three spaces 1, 3, and 4 were associated with activities that required separation from the residential areas; the three spaces 2, 5, and 6, which are part of the main residential complex, were probably places for resting and performing other daily activities. These three spaces are connected by some entrances.
All finds, from functional examples such as pottery, glass vessels, pounding stones, and mortars to decorative shells, indicate a normal settlement, and all of them are related to daily life activities.
The pottery of the Kalantar 5 bears no resemblance to the Kalantar 4 site. Many of them are Islamic glazed pottery, including monochrome green and turquoise blue glazes and some with incised patterns under the turquoise blue glaze. The pottery is not very diverse in terms of color, glaze, type, and theme of the patterns. These potteries date back to the fifth and sixth centuries AH and are dated to the Seljuk period. During this period, the glass industry in Iran was very prosperous (Shishehgar, 2003: 24), and glass fragments recovered from a rural settlement site confirm this.

The transition from the late 4th millennium BCE to the Bronze and Iron Ages along the northern and southern slopes of the Alborz Mountains is a major topic in archaeology, closely linked to the emergence of urbanism. Archaeological research indicates that with the end of Sialk III, many settlements, including those on the Qazvin Plain, collapsed. Similar processes occurred during the early 3rd millennium BCE in regions such as Kashan and Tehran. Although new settlements appeared in the Qazvin Plain during the later 3rd millennium BCE, the areas of Tehran, Qomrud, and Kashan were reoccupied only after a significant gap. In contrast, the northern flank of the Alborz displays a settlement history distinct from that of the southern side. While evidence for the influence of Sialk III in the north is limited, substantial occupation during the 3rd millennium BCE suggests divergent cultural developments on the two sides of the Alborz. This study draws on archaeological data from excavations and surveys in the northern and southern Alborz Mountains to examine Bronze Age (3rd millennium BCE) cultural developments. It highlights interaction networks linking the Gorgan Plain, southern Turkmenistan, Mazandaran, northeastern Iran, and the Central Plateau through exchanges of raw materials, technologies, and pottery traditions. Evidence from sites such as Tepe Hissar, Tureng Tepe, Ghal e-Ben, Ghal e-Kash, Tepe Kalar, and Qoli Darvish demonstrates cultural diversity, overlapping ceramic traditions, and continuous or discontinuous occupational sequences. The article emphasizes a contrast between the cultural hiatus of the Iranian Central Plateau and the flourishing development of the northern Alborz, particularly eastern Mazandaran and the Gorgan Plain, where regional interaction networks expanded. By contrast, the southern Alborz reflects migration, settlement disintegration, and environmental adaptation. Overall, the study identifies the Central Alborz as a key corridor for cultural interaction and interregional networks during the Bronze Age.

Tule’i Tepe, located in northern Khuzestan, is one of the key Neolithic sites on the Susiana Plain and has been dated to ca. 6200–5900 BCE based on previous studies. Although the site has been interpreted as a seasonal settlement or a mobile pastoralist camp with a relatively short occupation span, it is remarkably rich in material culture, particularly ceramics. Excavations at Tule’i have yielded a diverse ceramic assemblage, including both plain and painted Jaffar type pottery, as well as white and red wares decorated with various motifs, which show stylistic parallels with contemporary sites in Mesopotamia and southwestern Iran. Despite the significance of the site for studies of the Neolithic period and pastoralism, no comprehensive investigation has yet been conducted into the raw materials, production technology, or provenance of its pottery. The present study aims to address this gap by applying a multidisciplinary approach to the analysis of 41 ceramic samples from Tule’i Tepe. Three complementary analytical methods were employed: spectrophotometry for precise color measurement, portable X ray fluorescence (pXRF) for the determination of major and minor elements, and X ray diffraction (XRD) for mineralogical phase identification and the estimation of firing temperatures. Elemental analysis reveals that buff colored ceramic bodies contain the highest calcium (Ca) content, whereas red colored bodies show higher concentrations of iron (Fe) and aluminium (Al). Manganese (Mn) was identified as the primary coloring agent in the brownish decorations applied to the pottery. XRD analysis indicates the presence of minerals such as pyroxene and phlogopite, suggesting firing temperatures in the range of 600–700 °C. The presence of calcite in certain samples further indicates that firing temperatures remained below 800 °C, since calcite decomposes at higher temperatures. These findings suggest that Tule’i potters possessed considerable technical knowledge in controlling firing temperatures and selecting raw materials. A secondary aspect of this study compares the effectiveness of two color measurement methods: conventional visual comparison using the Munsell Soil Color Chart and instrumental analysis using reflectance spectrophotometry. The results indicate that the spectrophotometric method, owing to its higher resolution in distinguishing closely related colors (e.g., buff and light brown), can serve as an effective complement to non instrumental methods.

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.