Abstract
To balance the needs and actual or potential facilities, mankind has tried along with time. Water, ground, soil, road is from environmental factors forming a living place while one or more factors may play more important role depending on some situations. The culture is created due to people interactions and is progressing longitudinally and affects human activities. Ignoring the environment makes the debate impossible on cultural and behavioral conditions. Culture creates sites and phenomena around the spaces and places. Architecture is one of the main sites of culture in environment. Natural characteristics in the region of Ghahestan made the Ismailia – in the Islamic middle centuries - to establish defensive buildings due to cultural and religious conditions. The results made them to be in accordance with the political and natural conditions of the time. In spite of some environmental limitations, they provided their need in the environment and caused some sort of cultural and environmental accordance in the region. This study introduces the Kouh Zardan castle of Zirkouh city in South Khorasan. This castle has spent two different residence eras. The castle was used as a defensive place at the first era may be known as Saljooghi. Ilkhani’s were the second residents.The main question of the research is, what role has the natural geography of the area played in the castle of Castle Zardan Mountain architecture? The castle of Zardan Mountain has been built with regard to the environmental conditions of the area and the impact of the environment in the castle architecture space is not only in the use of native materials, but other factors such as climate, altitude, distance and proximity to water resources, geological structure and ... has played a key role in the formation of the castle. This paper is descriptive and analytical and its data has been through library resources and field surveys.
Keywords: Kouhzardan Castle, Architecture, Environment, Culture, Vegetation, Water resources.

Introduction
The breadth of the land of Iran, along with the diversity of its posterity, has created a situation in which the inhabitant should think in a special area of thought with creativity and sharpness in order to maintain, maintain and maintain their place of residence (Pazoki Tohruidi , 1376: 101). Environmental conditions, especially the climate, soil type, water resources, etc., can play a crucial role in the formation of a civilization (Wylie, 2007: 11). Among other factors that make use of these conditions in the environment, culture is. Culture is the result of an interpretation that humans themselves and their relationships with each other and nature (Abedi Sarvestani and Shah Vali, 1391: 2). If one looks at one of the applications of culture, then architecture as an outlook for human beings is one of the important aspects of culture that is studied in the geographic area as a perspective (Fayaz et al., 2011: 92). In many parts of Iran, there are works of old castles that have been constructed with the administrative and political conditions of their period and connect with their surroundings and create a solid structure. Quhistan is one of the places that has caused a favorable environment for the construction of the Ismaili dome in the Middle Ages due to its mountainousness due to the desert of central and loot, the plain called Afghanistan and the political and religious conditions. Castle Mountain Zadran One example of this type of castles, in South Khorasan province is located in the city Zirkouh the height of the mountain fortress Zadran on it and mastery of the environment, a perfect opportunity to the mountain’s topography around The fort is composed of mountainous and plain. In this article, the geographic conditions of the area and its impact on the architecture of Castle Zardan Mountain are discussed.

Castle Zardan Mountain
Castle Zardan Mountain is located in South Khorasan province, Zirkouh city and Zardan village, and is based on the point (UTM) at latitude and longitude 747004/3707960 with an average elevation of 1,770 meters above sea level. Castle Zardan Mountain is located above a single mountain (between 50 to 90 degrees) and overlooks the surrounding plains. The length of the castle is 100 meters and its width is 80 meters with an area of 8000 square meters and a height of 92 meters from the surrounding environment. The castle is based on a nearly square shape (Nasrabadi, 1391: 111). The architectural features of the castle include the remains of several towers, parts of the fence, the walls of the castle’s interior spaces, water cabinets, and several chamber-covered rooms. Citadel of the castle is located in the highest castle space. Some of the architectural spaces of the fortress are crafted in the rock form, so that rocks from the bed of this space can be used as building materials for the walls. In view of the architectural space of the castle building, it is seen that most of the residential spaces of the castle are opposite to the cold weather of the winter, so as to see some kind of compatibility with the winds of the area in this castle. For the construction of Ismaili castles, in addition to choosing it geographically, in the harsh areas, the villages near the fortress were chosen according to the Shiite religion, especially the Shiite Ismaili, as well as the environmental facilities including the water they had. Castle Zardan Mountain is located in a relatively blue area and today it is rich in agriculture. In the choice of castle, the environment was also considered vegetation, so that if materials such as bricks and pottery or melting metals were used for molding weapons, it was possible to make furnace with regard to vegetation.

Conclusion
Climatic factors have created buildings and spaces that are consistent with the environment, which is in fact the outlook for warm and dry regions, which expresses the complex relationships of man with its rough environment, so that architecture is the most obvious type of landscape (peasant, 1382: 68-67). Among these architectural views, it is possible to construct an Ismaili dome in most parts of Iran, especially in Qehistan. Castle Zardan Mountain is one of the Ismaili castles in Ghahistan, which is built according to the environmental conditions of the area and is related to some kind of architectural complexes of the castle with surrounding environment. Environmental factors were also very influential in the construction of the Castle Zardan Mountain due to cultural and historical factors, while how to form the fortress in order to adapt to natural conditions is more than anything else related to its surroundings. The influence of the environment in the castle architecture was not limited to the use of indigenous materials, but other factors such as climate, elevation, distance and proximity to water resources, geological structure, etc., also played a key role in the formation of the castle. In general, the most important factor is the formation of a water culture, access to water, and whether these water structures can be seen inside or outside the castle. But from other points of view, the castle landscape architecture is surrounded by the surrounding environment around the castle. The communication route is also seen in the perspective of the castle of Mount Zardan and other Isma’ili castles close by. The Castle Zardan Mountain is located on a single high mountain point with a steep pitch towards the surrounding area, for the sake of ease with the surrounding area and connecting with other Ismaili castles in the landscape.

Abstract
Western Iran during the first millennium had been fraught with significant incidents in the Assyrian and the Urartian era. In this historical period, the Mannaean local government had been frequently invaded by the Assyrian and the Urartian. Therefore, these invasions and the need to defend the country and its national structures had obliged the Mannaean government to construct strongholds so as to prevent plunder and destruction. Apparently it is the time a structure is built on Ziviyeh hill which is known to be a castle by researchers. In the present study, according to the major structure of the building and the tombs around this site, Ziviyeh is suggested to be an important temple. Paying careful attention to this structure and the excavated areas around the Ziviyeh hill, it is claimed that at that time, besides constructing castles, Mannaean government used to build some buildings for undertaking specific rituals. This must be noted that religious rituals had always been of considerable importance for the governments. The major question is: lf the structure discovered in Ziviyeh is not a castle, what had been used for? Explaining this, the authors have tried to hypothesize that the probable use of the Ziviyeh structure had been religious and ritualistic circa 7^th to 9^th century B.C. in the Western Iran. This study having an analytical-historical approach, using field studies and library data, tries to introduce the structure and study data and their co-relations.
Keywords: First Millennium, Mannaean, Castle, Worship, Ziviyeh.

Introduction
In 7^th to 9^th centuries B.C the Mannaean, an independent Iranian government, was located in the West of Iran. It was on the way of bordering governments of the Assyrian and Urartian and therefore it was invaded frequently. These invasions caused the Mannaeans, similar to other governments, to start constructing castles and strongholds in order to survive these attacks, as well as other constructions such as temples. Due to their locations on the way of invading governments they constructed these temples on highlands to prevent plunder age. One of these temples is located in Ziviyeh on high hills. So far, this structure has been considered to be a castle by researchers. Based on new researches, considering the structure of the enclosure, its location on the hilltop and the variety of cemeteries surrounding it, this study is an attempt to suggest that the structure is a temple.

Problem Statement
 The ancient hill of Ziviyeh has been introduced as a castle for seven decades. The important point is the believability of this structure functioning as a castle. Researchers may have considered it to be a castle because it was located on the way of invading bordering governments or because it was on the hilltop. This study tries to suggest another probability; regarding the centrality of the Ziviyeh structure and close studying of the surrounding sites within a particular radius of 10 kilometers with due regard to the excavated cemeteries surrounding the hill, the structure is probably a religious temple. 
  
Goals and Objectives
The Mannaeans were frequently invaded by neighboring governments which like other governments it resulted in construction of strongholds. Constructing other structures such as temples alongside governmental castles was a governmental obligation. Regarding the remaining of its structures and various golden artifacts found there, Ziviyeh hill’s structure has more characteristics of a temple than those of a castle. If we could prove that Ziviyeh’s structure was a temple, we might be able to change the attitudes and the approaches of Iranian archeological investigations on religious beliefs of those people.
    
Methodology
Historical descriptive-analytical approach has been used for this study; and by using field and library studies the structure and its function are introduced and the data has been analyzed and its relations to the structure has been discussed.  

Argument
The Ziviyeh structure is built on an uneven area which its natural slope rocks helped its architects. The remains consist of a stone stairway entrance surrounded by pillars, chambers, warehouses, a pillared hall, stone benches, and a paved yard. The achieved divisions can be categorically compared with those of Nush-i jan. With due regard to lack of any battlements being found, primarily we may deduce that it has only an adoptive structural likeness of a castle. It has to be mentioned that one of the most important characteristics of a castle is the existence of battlements, which is absent in Ziviyeh structure.   
In case of considering Ziviyeh a temple, regarding where it is located on highlands, it should have been an important temple in Mannaean era. The entrance stairway has three pillars which are redundant in a military castle because they have decorative purpose. Moreover, the existence of numerous chambers used to store grains and provisions, also could have been places to store gifts presented to the temple by people. The existence of a pillared hall is another redundant element in a castle because a castle is a military structure which is invaded frequently and may sustain huge damage.  Based on my hypothesis the hall was used as a place for congregations.        
The variety and quantity of graves including familial, individual, shared, and in some case buried collected bones and skulls (similar to Changbar graves) indicate the respectability of this structure circa mid-9^th century to mid-7^th century B.C.
 
Conclusion
Ziviyeh was on the way of frequent invasions of the Assyrian and Urartian and as it could be considered a castle to defend, it also could be considered a temple for performing religious rituals, being placed on hilltop to prevent plunder age. This hypothesis is worthy of attention due to the found artistic and decorative artifacts, probably offered to the honored resident of the structure. It may be deduced that Ziviyeh structure was a sacred temple, where people offered gifts to in order to worship their God(s) and honor the resident person. They buried their loved ones near this sacred place. Changbar and Malamacha cemeteries are of these types of cemeteries which the variety of burial methods indicate ritualistic burials. 

Abstract
today, the non-destructive geophysical methods such as Magnetometry used to detect the archaeological discoveries without harmful environmental effects that only use natural properties of the subsurface material. The 80 hectares Urartian Bastam Castle is one of three large castles in Urartu in northwestern Iran. Therefore, determining the actual boundaries of the castle can determine its location in the east of the empire. This study aims to better understand Urartian sites using new knowledge and new methods of studying archeology without the slightest interference with the site. Using magnetic methods, the study identified the subsurface structures of the ancient site of Qala-e- Bastam. For this purpose, magnetic data in a rectangular square grid were regularly collected in the desired range and after the necessary corrections of the data, topography and map of magnetic anomalies were prepared. The results show that there are regular and high-density architectural structures in the residential area. Architectural spaces have expanded in a West-East direction and along each other, and large and medium stone pieces with mud mortar have been used in the construction of architectural spaces. On the south side of the lower part of the castle, the remains of ash layers as well as the sidewalk floor can be seen, which indicates the existence of settlement layers in this area of the castle. On the western side of the castle and along the Aghchai River, part of the remnants of the water canal can be seen. This indicates that the people who occupied the castle, used the Aghchai River to provide their water needs. The castle was built by constructing a water canal made of stone and mortar.
Keywords: Urartu, Bastam Castle, Magnetics Method, Residential Area.

Introduction
The kingdom Urartu were destroyed around the middle of the 7th century BC, during or shortly after the reign Rusa Argisti. Rusa Argisti the last king of Urartu of any importance, had started a building and cultivation program not experienced in Urartu since the days of king Menua. It is visible in places like Karmir Blur, Basam Casle, Kerfkalesi/ Adilcevaz or Ayanis. Rusa Argisti’s empire many have covered Eastern Anatolia, large parts of Armenia, all of Iranian Western Azarbijan and large parts of Eastern Azarbijan. 
Research and exploration of the remaining relics from the past has special importance in identifying the date, history and the identify of a country. Development and advancement of human knowledge have offered new methods for detection archaeological sites that by using them without the need for excavation and destruction of antiquities can be found useful information. Archaeologist need to investigate and explore the archaeological sites in order to find some evidence of human being living in ancient time, but we know the fact that exploring is destructive. On the other hand, exploration necessitates high expensive, and need many human sources. Now a day, a variety of sciences have helped archaeologist’s in discovering past cultures. These sciences that are formed by combining different sciences with archaeology are called inter disciplinary sciences. Archaeogeophysics is one of these sciences that is formed as a combination of geophysics and archaeology. Population growth and subsequently development of villages and cities, industrial life improvements and developments in agriculture has caused an increasing threat against cultured heritage. Anyhow doing swift investigations in order to obtain the pas cultures before industrial advances is an urgent need. One of the ways, that can help archaeologists in this way is archaeological prospecting. On the other hand, as archaeological prospecting methods are called drilling without drill, by using these methods archaeologists are able to obtain the needed data from below he earths surface without causing any destruction and mess in the site. Also these methods assist archaeologists in determining the priority of exploring location before a wide spread exploration. Using methods reduces he expense of archaeological actives and archaeologists can explore an archaeological spending a very short time and low expenses.
In this paper to investigate the subsurface structures of an architecture at the Urartian site of Bastam Castle in northwestern in Iran. The magnetic data were used. In order to this work, the magnetic data measured in a regular grid in the desired area and then after do corrections such as instrument drift correction, free air and slab Bougure, latitude and terrain corrections on gravity data and the daily correction, and reduction to pole (RTP) correction on the magnetic data, magnetic anomalies map were obtained.
Questions Research: 1.Using the magnetometer method can be identified the structure of architectural complexity in residential area of Bastam Castle? 2. what was architectural structure in the eastern part in of Bastam castle?
 Aim Research: This research was aimed to identify and investigate the subsurface structures of architecture in residential and eastern part of the Bastam Castle archaeological site in Azarbaiejan, the magnetic data were used.Using magnetic methods, the study identified the subsurface structures of the ancient site of Qala-e- Bastam. For this purpose, magnetic data in a rectangular square grid were regularly collected in the desired range and after the necessary corrections of the data, topography and map of magnetic anomalies were prepared.
Method Research: A magnetometer measures the fine divergences in the terrestrial magnetic field causes e.g. by subsurface walls or archaeological structures. These divergences are diagrammed in grayscale pictures.  For the present researches, in order to execute geomagnetic prospections, fields need to be defined, measured and staked off. Each of these fields are then walked off and measured with magnetometer in lines with as offset of.2.5 m to each other. After measuring, the data were exported, corrected, processed and converted in grayscale pictures with the software Magneto by Sensys. These grayscale pictures were hen exported as georeferenced geotif’s and were collected in QGIS, an open source GIS. In the same QGIS-project all data like the measurements were collected and put together to one project.

Councusion
The results show that there are regular and high-density architectural structures in the residential area. Architectural spaces have expanded in a West-East direction and along each other, and large and medium stone pieces with mud mortar have been used in the construction of architectural spaces. On the south side of the lower part of the castle, the remains of ash layers as well as the sidewalk floor can be seen, which indicates the existence of settlement layers in this area of the castle. On the western side of the castle and along the Aghchai River, part of the remnants of the water canal can be seen. This indicates that the people who occupied the castle, used the Aghchai River to provide their water needs. The castle was built by constructing a water canal made of stone and mortar.
As expected, the grayscale piture of the geomagnetic prospection shows wall structures in almost every filed, except the fields in the far north of the research area. The geomantic prospection completes the visible structures and show not only single walls or pars of walls, but furthermore connects single walls to complete ground plots of different houses. In some cases, even doors and therefore the way the houses were used visible in the grayscale picture of the geomagnetic prospection.  Over the whole area, small but also bigger disturbances are visible.

Abstract
Bampur historical complex is located in Makran – Jazmourian Basin in a flat plain in the Northwest of Bampur city, the capital of the region and 4 km to the North of Bampur River (20 km to the east of Iranshar). Extensive firing and burnt vestiges are one of the most characteristics phenomena at Bampur Castel. The evidence of firing is scattered nearly all over the site and it is not limited just to spaces like pits or kitchens. The diversity and abundance of brunt materials (seed of cereals, fruit remains, woods, charcoals and mat-made shoes) allowed us to use them for archaeobotanical studies. Due to the limited archaeological excavations especially in prehistoric sites, Iranian Baluchestān has so far been less-known from archaeobotanical and history of vegetation point of view. This research present the results of studies on the plant remains obtained from some pits and firing debris belonged to the Qajar period’s layers. The purpose of the study was to recognize the vegetation around the site and the type of plants used by the inhabitants during that period. Microscopic observations and analyze of 2301 charcoal fragments, woods, seeds, rachis segments and fruit remains showed that the vegetation cover around the Castel included trees such as tamaris, willow, acacia, musquit bean and date palm. They used the wood of these trees to meet their fuel needs (especially tamaris) or as construction materials (willow, acacaia and mesquites). Given the current ecology and geographical distribution of these species, it is reasonable to assume that the identified trees are native to the area and have grown around the Castel. Also the remains of Cereals (wheat and barley), fruits (date palm) and Cucurbits (Watermelon and melon) found in the firing debris testify agricultural activities. In addition, further evidence is attested by the presence of burnt seeds of the wild plants or weedy such as rye, bermuda grass, brome, wild grass, vetch milk, vetch, medic, goosefoot family, knotweed, seepweed, cowherb, asphodel and sedge family (present in the fields along with agricultural products).
Keywords: Archaeobotany, Bampur Castle, Wood utilization, Qajar Period, Southeastern Iran.

Introduction
The study of vegetal remains is not solely limited to climate change that occurs normaly over a long period of time. It could be used for reconstruction of vegetal cover, cultivation patterns or the introduction of non – native species compatible with the environment of a specific region. 
Bampur castel is located, in a flat plain on the northwest side of Bampur city, 4 km north of Bampur River and 20 km east of Iranshahr. The castel have a rectangular – oval shape in the northeast- southwest axis. Due to the best state of conservation at the site, large quantity of vegetal remains including seeds, fruit remains, woods, charcoals and reed mat and other artefcats were found in archaeological contexts. 
The present research will study plant data obtained from the excavated layers in the second season of excavations at Bampur castel conducted by Nozar Heydari in 2018 (heydari 2018). Here, we will try to answer to the following questions: 1. What was the vegetal cover around Bampur in the late Islamic period (Qajar period)? 2. Which kind of woods were used by the inhabitants of the region during that period? 3. What plants species were cultivated by the inhabitants as food resources?
Unfortunately archaeobotanical studies have not been realized in Iranian Baluchestān. Henece, for the first time archaeobotanical studies have been applied to identify the vegetation history of the area, the plant resources and the possible existence of non – native species. The Information on the agriculture and plant economy of Pakistani Baluchestān during the prehistoric times has been available (Tengberg, 1998; 1999; Tengberg & Thiebault, 2003; Costantini, 1981; 1990). However in the Iranian Baluchestān, no specialized study has been conducted in this field. In the southeasten part of the Iranian Plateau and in the Indo-Iranian Borderlands (Sistan, Baluchestān and Kerman) several long-term environmental studies have been carried out in some prehistoric sites by iranian and foreign experts resulted in obtaining valuable information on the history of agriculture and vegetal cover of the area (Costantini & Costantini-Biasini, 1985; Costantini, 1977a-b;  Costantini, 1979; Meadow, 1986; Shirazi & Shirazi, 2012; Tengberg, 2008; Mashkour et al., 2013 ; Vaezi et al., 2019; Hamzeh et al., 2016; Gurjazkaite et al., 2018; Shirazi 2019; Kavosh et al., 2020).

Material and Method
In the second season of excavations a total of six trenches were excavated including:  W1.T2, W1.T3, W1.T4, W1.T5, W1.T6, W1.T7. The archaeobotanical data were obtained from W1.T2, W1.T3, W1.T4, W1.T5. Extensive traces of fire and ashe were scattered all around the castel. Considering the diversity and large quantities of plant remains (grains, fruitstones, charcoals, woods and artefacts) it was decided to select them for archaeobotanical studies. In total, 10 samples from contexts such as pits and fire debris have been collected. From 153 litres of collected debris by water sieving, about 5690 ml. plant remains including seeds, fruitstones and rachis segments were obtainted. Laboratory studies of these data have been done in the Archaeobotanical Laboratory of the World Heritage Site of Shahr-i Sokhta.

Discussion
A total of 310 fragments of charcoal and woods and 1991 seeds, fruit stones and rachis segments were studies. Anthracological digramme indicates the presence of various trees and shrubs such as tamaris (Tamarix spp.), willow (Salix sp.), date palm (Phoenix dactylifera), acacia (Acacia sp.) and mesquites (Prosopis sp.). The relative abundance of tamaris and willow is higher (79%) than other plants. Tropical plants such as acacia and mesquites (15%) and fruits like date palm (6%) are in the second and third ranks respectively. This evidence shows that the inhabitants used the wood of tamaris as fule and willow, acacia and mesquites as construction materials. Given the habitat and geopraphical distribution of the actual vegetation, it is quite reasonable to assume that the identified trees are native to the area.
In addition to the identified trees, carpological digramme indicates the existence of various crops like cultivated cereals  (emmer wheat/Triticum dicoccum), bread wheat /T. aestivum, club wheat /T. compacteum and barley/Hordeum vulgare), fruits and cucurbits (date palm, melon and watermelon), wild grasses (rye, bermuda grass, brome), wild pulses (vetch milk, vetch, medic), and wild plant or weedy (goosefoot family, knotweed, seepweed, cowherb, asphodel and sedge family) that were present in the fields along with agricultural products.

Conclusion
According to our study, plant resources around Bampur includs trees such as tamaris, willow, acacia, date palm and mesquites. Tamaris is the main source of fuel in the region and willow, acacia and mesquites have been used as construction materials (beams for building strengthen). The remains of charcoal and wood of these trees in the explored contexts show that the inhabitants of the castel did not need to import wood from other areas to meet their needs and were completely self-sufficient in this regard. In addition to these tree, which grew naturally in the past as they do today, Baluchestān also enjoyed favorable conditions for cultivation of cereals (emmer wheat, bread wheat, club wheat and barley), cucurbits (melon and water melon) and other fruits especially date palm. 

Abstract
Qal’eh Dokhtar, as one of the important historical sites on the eastern outskirts of Kerman, has been described in historical texts with different names such as Qal’eh Kooh and Qal’eh Kohan, as a place of political and social events. One of the important features of this castle is its special location in Kerman plain, as well as the extent of its architectural structures and type of materials. The purpose of this study is to analyze the nature, function, and chronology of Qal’eh Dokhtar. This study was done based on the results of an archaeological survey, sounding, and archaeological excavation in 2019 in this site. This study can explain the role and position of Qal’eh Dokhtar in the social and political developments of Kerman during the Islamic era. Data collection was done by documentary and field methods and the research method is descriptive-analytical. The questions are: When were the foundations and renovations of Qal’eh Dokhtar made and what were the functions of this complex? For this purpose, the data of previous archaeological research and recent field activities of the authors were studied and reviewed, and while studying the historical geography of the region, a correct idea of the nature, formation, and function of this building in relation to cultural developments, Political and social of this area in the different period were presented. The study of cultural materials along with the study of historical sources shows that this site is probably almost continuously inhabited from the pre-Islamic period and certainly from the first centuries of Islam to the tenth century AH. The results show that this structure has played a decisive role in the political and social developments in the region. It seems that Qal’eh Dokhtar was probably constructed and reconstructed from the pre-Islamic period and certainly from the first centuries of Islam to the Safavid era for establishing a military and defense base, as a place to hold political prisoners, a treasury, a safe haven for sit-ins and the rulers and their families.
Keywords: Qal’eh Dokhtar in Kerman, Qal’eh Kooh, Qal’eh Kohan, Historical Castles, Islamic Architecture.

Introduction
Based on historical evidence, Kerman city was founded due to an economic-military necessity. The necessity that required the important branch of the Khorasan arterial road, that is, the spice route of India and the coasts of the Oman Sea, passes through the deserts of Kerman and Baluchistan and connects to the Khorasan arterial road. The Kerman region was located in the center of the intersection of the mentioned roads (Zarei and Heydari, 2013: 202). Because of this special situation, Kerman was also subject to internal and external attacks since historical times (Bastani Parizi, 2016: 40). Therefore, large castles were built for military and defensive purposes to prevent damage and protect lives and property from enemy attacks. Qal’eh Dokhtar is one of the important castles that was founded in response to such needs. In its ups and downs history, this castle has been one of the most famous and eventful castles, especially during the Islamic era, compared to other historical castles in the southeast. Based on the historical sources, political events in the history of Kerman in different periods are connected with this castle (see: Afzal al-Din Kermani, 2016: 124; Vaziri, 2016: 102; Monshi Kermani, 2018: 62; Sykes, 2016: 80).
Despite this, none of the above studies gives a detailed understanding of the nature, function, and chronology of this monument in connection with the social and political developments of Kerman. Historical sources also show a number of contradictions about the date of construction and function of Qal’eh Dokhtar. Most of these contradictions have been caused by the lack of detailed and comprehensive investigation or the ignorance of historians. Considering that the previous researches related to Qal’eh Dokhtar were only descriptive, the importance of the research is that it studied the nature and use of this castle with an analytical approach.
Materials and Method: In this research, by studying historical texts and architectural structures and cultural data (including the remains of pottery from the archaeological excavation and survey in Qal’eh Dokhtar), an attempt was made to create a clear understanding of the history of construction, the process, and stages of renovations, its functions based on the developments. Data collection in this research has been done by field and documentary methods. Based on this, the study and analysis of the findings of the authors’ excavation and survey in Qal’eh Dokhtar has been done to explain the construction chronology, the process and stages of renovations, and the functions of the castle. Also, the historical texts related to this work have been analyzed in the “content analysis” method, and by matching the data from these documents with the archaeological findings, new analyzes have been tried to be presented about this work.

Data
Qal’eh Dokhtar is built on a high rock overlooking the landscape of Kerman plain. This high rock is stretched lengthwise from east to west and its length is more than 720 meters. The architecture of Qal’eh Dokhtar follows the topography of this rock. Some of the architectural spaces of Qal’eh Dokhtar were formed on large stone slabs, and in some others, space was provided for construction by carving the mountain rocks, and buildings were formed with mud-brick, crushed stone, Sarooj, plaster, and lime. In the eastern part of the complex, architectural evidence of two and three stories has been left. In the northernmost part of the middle section, the architectural structures of this section were probably the ruling buildings. In the northwest of the middle part of Qal’eh Dokhtar, there is a wide and half-ruined gate, a small pedestrian gate, and a high and solid tower. In the south of the middle part of Qal’eh Dokhtar, there are remains of a brick water basin.

Discussion
Analyzing the content of historical sources provides information about the functions of Qal’eh Dokhtar during the Islamic era. For example, the first function of Qal’eh Dokhtar as a “place for opponents of the government” can be mentioned (Monshi Kermani, 1328: 23; Hafez Abro, 1375: 53-52). The second function of Qal’eh Dokhtar was based on the analysis of the content of historical texts, “a place to store government treasures” (Katabi, 1985: 100; Hafez Abro, 1996: 157). The third function of Qal’eh Dokhtar can also be considered as “the residence of rulers and their families” in some periods (Afzal al-Din Kermani, 1977: 124). The last function of Qal’eh Dokhtar can be seen as a shelter for besiegers (Khabisi, 1994: 187). In addition to these, we can also mention the role of Qal’eh Dokhtar in keeping political prisoners, which is hidden in historical sources (Monshi Kermani, 1949: 15; Hafez Abro, 1996: 20). Based on this, Qal’eh Dokhtar has had different functions in different eras and as a part of the spatial organization of Kerman city, it has played a special role in the political and social developments of this city in the Islamic era.

Conclusion
Qal’eh Dokhtar in the east of Kerman city was one of the important castles that was founded in the pre-Islamic and early Islamic period due to the need to deal with the threat of invading tribes on the south and southeast highway of the country, and it became the throne of the rulers of Kerman in different periods. For two reasons, Qal’eh Dokhtar played a role as a military and defense structure along with other castles in Kerman in providing security to the east of Kerman and the highways of the region. The First reason is “its location on top of the natural elevation and dominates the Kerman plain”, and the Second is “the important position of the city of Kerman from a military point of view during the Sassanid era”. However, the analysis of the content of Islamic written sources and the study of archaeological evidence, including pottery and architectural structures, show a basic reconstruction phase in the 4th century AH, a deliberate destruction phase in the late 6th century AH, two phases of reconstruction in the early and at the end of the 7th century A.H. and a stage of reconstruction took place in the second half of the 8th century A.H. in Qal’eh Dokhtar. Along with these developments and renovations, other functions were added to the security and defense functions of Qal’eh Dokhtar. As it has functioned as a place to keep political prisoners, in other times as a place to keep government treasures, sometimes as a safe haven for the opposition and in other periods as a residence of rulers and their families.

Acknowledgments
The authors are grateful to Dr. Asadullah Jodaki Azizi for his advice.

Abstract
Nusratabad Farmstead was built in 1264 AH by Aqamirza Nasrullah Sadr al-Mamalik around Qom and was dedicated to his two male children. This farmstead was active until the Pahlavi period and after that, the remains of the farmstead called Sadri castle were registered in the list of national monuments of Iran in 2001 with the number 4868. there are written documents such as historical maps and endowments related to the year 1270 AH about this farmstead. The mentioned documents provide useful information about the characteristics of the farmstead and qualities such as why it is made, the formation process, various physical elements and agricultural products. The research problem is the low familiarity of the communities with the subject of “farmsteads architecture” and also the possibility of reviving Nusratabad and Sadri Castle in the future. The aim of this study is to introduce a Qajar farmstrad and to achieve them two questions are asked: 1. What are the physical and functional characteristics of Nusratabad Farmstead? 2. What was the role of these characteristics in the survival of Nusratabad farmstead? this study tries to approach the subject with an interpretive approach and historical interpretive strategy and uses the three main formats of document research, interviews and field studies. Studies show that Nusratabad farmstead has two physical and functional characteristics and their subsystems. Positioning, formation of physical elements and farmsteads monitoring methods are related to its physical characteristics and the functional characteristics of Nusratabad farmstead also refer to the type of crops, social pyramid and related cultural issues. The architecture of Nusratabad Farmstead have been the product of a combination of physical and functional characteristics over time and Sadr al-Mamalik was able to protect the farmstead with these measures and hand it over to the current supervisors.
Keywords: Nusratabad Farmstead, Sadri Castle, Agricultural Heritage, Qom.

Introduction
Historical farmsteads have been seen in two forms so far; the first form is called “Agriculture castles” in which the castle is the axis of the farmstead and the residence of the farmstead dwellers and usually Agriculture lands and gardens were gradually formed outside the castle.
But the second form is “Agriculture complexes” in which the elements of the farmsteads are seen as a small village and a concentrated fabric in cooperation with each other and the farmsteads dwellers lived in a place other than the castle.
Nusratabad farmsteads was built with the model of Agriculture castle and centered on Sadri Castle in 1264 AH by Aqamirza Nasrullah Sadr al-Malik and the date of its endowment dates back to 1270 AH. The mentioned properties is now located at the end of Hazrat Masoumeh Boulevard, at the old road from Qom to Saveh and Sadri Street. From this farmstead and the Agriculture castle related to those two maps have been seen so far: a); The main and first map is made of fabric and has dimensions of 216 × 88 cm, in which the qanat and four mills of Nusratabad farmstead in the old plain and the western and eastern fronts of Qom river are also shown. This map is currently available to heirs and is not available. B); The second or monitoring plan is made of fabric with dimensions of 70 × 257 cm, which was prepared during the construction of the castle in 1264 AH. (Mohseni, 2014:203) This map is mentioned in Madame Dieulafoy ‘s travelogue and will be discussed in this article. The research problem is the low familiarity of the communities with the subject of “farmsteads architecture” and also the possibility of reviving Nusratabad and Sadri Castle in the future. The aim of this study is to introduce a Qajar farmstead. Rereading these documents can acquaint the scientific community with the architectural pattern and social and cultural characteristics of a Qajar farmsteads. For this reason, it is tried based on three formats; Document research, interviews and field studies to answer research questions. this research approaches the issue with its interpretive approach and historical interpretive strategy.

Identified Sites
The available documents show that the owner of the farmstead, Sadr al-Malik, was originally from Taleqan but her ancestors had migrated to Ardabil. During the reign of Mohammad Shah Qajar, Sadr al-Malik was in a good position in terms of relations with the court as well as religious relations with the people and he had built this farmstead for the development of property and qanat as well as economic exploitation. After building the castle, he selected people from the Zandieh tribe and settled as slaves in the Sadri Farmstead Castle (Arbab, n.d.: 51). According to the calculation of Afzal-ol-Molk, their number reached 40 to 50 families and between 200 to 250 people (Afzal Al-Molk, 2017: 88). The tribe was responsible for maintaining and producing on the farmstead and cultivating summer and winter crops. There are currently two historical maps of this farmstead: a; Main and first map b; Second map and monitoring. In the historical map, the two elements of the castle and the refrigerator can be clearly seen. According to the plan, Sadri Castle had a fort and twelve main and secondary towers, qanats, buildings and interior spaces. In addition, the remains of a historic bath can now be seen in the castle, which were not drawn on the castle monitoring map and may have been added to the complex later. This map describes other spaces under construction such as mills, baths, caravanserai, mosques and qanats. These features with the details stated in Tables 1 and 2 are the result of reviewing the documents studied in different sections of the research and it can be considered as physical and functional characteristics of Nusratabad farmstead. The contents of these tables show that the architecture of the farmstead was a function of social, economic, cultural, security, environmental and climatic issues that manifested themselves in different ways in historical periods.

Conclusion
This study has concluded that Nusratabad farmstead has two physical and functional characteristics and their subsystems. Positioning, formation of physical elements and field monitoring methods are related to its physical characteristics. Based on this, Nusratabad farmstead was built in the Qajar period with a short distance from Qom and Water resources and security have played a role in its location. Sadr al-Malik was able to build a large farmstead with elements such as an Agriculture castle, caravanserai, mosque, mill, qanat, bath and refrigerator and settle some of the Zandieh tribe. The functional characteristics of Nusratabad Farmstead also refer to crops, social pyramid and related cultural issues. Accordingly, the formation of Nusratabad farmstead started with good intentions and then economic exploitation has been given priority. Sadr al-Malik was able to achieve a monitoring program in by designing architecture, monitoring plan, determining the type of endowment operation and setting up the endowment letter. In a way that has been continued by his supervisors until now. Therefore, the architecture and composition of Nusratabad Farmstead have been the product of a combination of physical and functional characteristics over time.

Acknowledgment
We would like to thank the managers of the Sadri Castle(Ghal-eh Sadri) complex, especially Mr. Hamed Sadri and Younes Sadri.

Observation Contribution
The authors have contributed equally to the compilation of the paper.

Conflict of Interest
There is no conflict of interest.
 

Abstract
Archaeological excavations in Yelsuie Germi Castle, very rich findings and valuable documents such as pottery, architecture and other handicrafts were identified and excavated from under a mound of soil that can play an important role in the detailed analysis of this area. One of these landmarks is an unknown structure with complex architecture and building elements located on the hills of the castle near the Sambur Chay River. This building has sections and spaces of four corners that the presence of water conduction paths into the building on the walls and water outlet channels in the floor, has increased the importance of the building and has made it more difficult to identify and evaluate the main function of the building. In this regard, the present research is descriptive-analytical and based on field studies and review of library documents, while identifying and introducing the mentioned building, seeks to find a logical answer to the following questions: What is the usage of the unknown building of Yelsuie Castle and how did it work? What era does the unknown building of Yelsuie Castle belong to? Studies were carried out show that the unknown building is due to the presence of ponds and inlets and outlets water conduction paths was in association with water usage, which is probably used for the preparation and processing of clay, and accordingly by the authors, The name of the building is called “clay processing building”. On the other hand, the study of pottery obtained from different spaces of this building and its comparison with other areas, confirms that this building belongs to the Islamic Middle Ages and the Seljuk period.
Keywords: Germi, Yelsuie Castle, Clay Processing Building, Pottery, Medieval Islam.

Introduction
The current research method is based on a descriptive-analytical and historical approach and its data collection is in the form of library and field studies and archaeological excavations in the area. According to this, at first, the whole building and its various spaces have been drawn, designed and three-dimensional with the help of various software; Also, in order to achieve the most accurate information and general analysis of the building, the obtained pottery from inside the brick building has been compared and matched with the pottery works of other areas of the Islamic era. The ancient place of Yelsuie Castle in the Ingot section of Germi city consists of a small castle on top of a high natural hill and a residential area located in its southwestern part. Yelsuie Castle is located in the watercourse of Sambur Chay River. Easy access to river water resources as well as the precipice situation in the southern and eastern part of the hill on which the castle was built, is one of the most important strategic features that has been influential in choosing this place to form such an area. In general, this area can be considered as one of the most key Islamic area in northwestern Iran. The brick building is located on the eastern side of the castle and on the watercourse of the Sambur Chay River. In this regard, in order to identify this brick building, a workshop called Workshop No. 4 was created in this part of the area by the excavation team. While continuing the excavation process, a brick building with special architecture and unknown usage was discovered. The mentioned building has an almost rectangular plan that includes several spaces inside. The main materials used in the structure of this building are bricks with gypsum and lime mortar, and in some parts, especially in the outer parts of the building, river rubble has been used. The walls of the brick building are completely smooth and flat and are made with an average width of 50 cm and the height of all of them is the same and is about 70 cm.

Discussion
In general, according to the general structure of the brick building, the most reasonable usage for this architecture is being a pottery workshop and processing and preparing clay in it. One of the most important steps before making pottery is to find the right clay or grinding clay, without clods and other materials. Therefore, for this purpose, it is necessary for the pottery clay to be well shaped, sifted, cleaned and prepared. It seems that small ponds that are embedded lengthwise in different parts of the brick building; Along with water inlet and outlet channels, they are made for just such a use.  In fact, in this building, water is directed into these ponds and collected in them through small canals that are embedded on the walls. After filling them, in the next stage, the clay, which was suitable for pottery, was mixed with water inside these basins and became a slurry. While mixing the clay with water, the water flow is redirected into these ponds again, and during this operation, the excess material inside of the soil as well as other additional materials are poured out of the ponds along with the excess water into large side spaces. And was led out  of the building by floor channels. Also, the grains of sand that may have been inside the clay, due to the weight of the bottom of the ponds and the parts that are embedded in the bottom of the floor, were deposited. After doing this, the water flow was cut off and the produced clay was deposited in the ponds for a few days and remained there until it was soft and smooth and so-called settled. After a few days, the prepared clay was collected and transferred to pottery workshops and then to pottery kilns. 

Conclusion
In fact, it should be added that the existence of various pottery in various forms, styles and techniques in Yelsuie Castle indicates the possible presence of pottery kilns in this site, which also confirms the fact that the brick building is a workshop for producing high quality clay. On the surface of Yelsuie Castle, there are limited traces of pottery balls that indicate the presence of pottery kilns in the area, so that with the help of these balls, the temperature of the kilns was regulated. In this article, 3 maps and 13 images including the castle itself, its geographical location, as well as the brick building and its various parts are given. Also, in two tables, the types of obtained pottery from the brick building are displayed, and in another table, similar samples of obtained pottery from other sites of the Islamic period in other parts of Iran have been compared and matched. According to potteries and other artifacts, the date and time of construction of this building should be belong to the Middle Ages of Islam and the Seljuk era.

Abstract
This article discusses the structural analysis of ancient mortars used in Ojai’s Castle, which belongs to the Ilkhanid period in Bostanabad County, East Azerbaijan Province. Various methods, including field studies for documentation, sampling, and laboratory analysis using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray fluorescence (XRF), were utilized to investigate the structural and physicochemical properties of the ancient mortars. For this purpose, ten mortar samples were collected from different sections of the outer walls of the castle, which were excavated in the past five years, and their dominant phases and compositions were identified using XRD and XRF. The results show that the composition of the mortars used in the castle is significantly similar. Contrary to existing assumptions based on the use of lime-based mortars in cold regions and stone structures, the mortars in Ojan Castle are composed of gypsum and quartz-based high-purity gypsum mortars. These mortars were used for structural reinforcement and, especially, for enhancing their compressive strength. Based on these findings, this study can serve as a reference for future research on the structural analysis of ancient mortars to restore the castle.
Keywords: Characterization, Seljuks-Ilkhanid, Ojan Castle, Mortar, XRD, XRF.

Introduction
Historical architecture exemplifies the dynamic progression and development of knowledge, structure, recognition, and production of diverse materials. Mortars, as significant architectural elements, play a crucial role in this evolution. Remarkably, numerous mortars have retained their structural attributes for centuries. These historical mortars represent cultural accomplishments, exhibiting distinct properties influenced by raw materials, technological methods, and their manufacturing and utilization processes. The analysis of historical mortar’s composition serves as a valuable tool in understanding the construction techniques and technological advancements employed in the past. By studying the structure, composition, and processing methods of traditional mortars, we can make informed decisions regarding their conservation, restoration, reproduction, and identification of potentially damaging factors in historical buildings. Furthermore, mineralogical and chemical analysis of mortars provides essential insights into their setting characteristics, mineral grading, and compound quantities, offering a comprehensive understanding of their properties. Concerning the specific topic of this research, which is related to the historical and cultural mortars of the Seljuk-Ilkhanid era we can say undoubtedly, the Ilkhanid era can be considered one of the brilliant periods in the history of urban planning in Iran and another beginning in the emergence of a new style in creating and developing urban spaces. This style, which is known as the “Azeri style”, hastened the creation of royal cities such as Ghazaniyeh and Soltanieh and the strategic mother city of Tabriz, which is the manifestation of the ideals and urban planning ideas of the Mughal Ilkhanid. It has remained unstudied until today. In this research, the structural analysis and identification of the mortar composition of the historical castle of Ojan (figure1-3), related to the Seljuk-Ilkhanate period, will be examined and studied. Until now, five seasons of scientific archeological excavations have been carried out in the historical castle of Ojan from 2018 to 2022, and the results show remarkable stone architecture and architectural decoration such as Muqarnas made by gypsum, tiles, shaped stones, and various objects. Belongings include copper coins, pieces of pottery from the Seljuk-Ilkhanate period, glass, metal nails, etc. (figure4-7 & table 1) 
The most important research questions regarding the mortars used in Ojan Castle are: 1. What types of mortars are present in Ojan Ilkhanate castle? 2. What are the fundamental characteristics of the mortar used in Ojan Castle? The research methodology for this study consists of three main components:  1. Gathering documentary information through library studies. 2. Conducted field studies, including sampling from the historic Ojan Castle and documenting the current condition of the site to understand the nature of the building under investigation. 3. Performed laboratory studies, specifically analyzing samples taken from the outer wall of the castle. This analysis includes structural analysis and qualitative examination of mortar materials.

Materials and Methods
In this study, after examining the explored sections of the Ojan castle, mapping of the structure was carried out. Based on the current condition of the walls and the materials used in the construction (Fig. 8), 10 random representative samples were taken from different sections of the castle, including the outer parts of the main walls and the areas between the main materials. The samples were selected from different parts of the walls to ensure sufficient dispersion. The sampling method involved separating layers from both intact and deteriorated sections. Fig. 9 and indicates the locations where the samples were taken. Based on field observations, the mortar layers, especially in shallower and more exposed areas, had weak and powdery structural conditions. However, at depths greater than 20mm from the wall surface, the mortar exhibited better strength compared to the surface layers. The color of the mortar was mostly white, with some areas having a slight grayish tint, and no traces of plant remains or other components were observed. In the next stage, images and visual information related to each sample were recorded on-site. Descriptions of the visual characteristics of the samples, along with images and sampling locations, were collected and documented in Table 2. All samples were powdered and passed through a 200-mesh sieve. They were then barcoded and sent to the laboratory for XRF (table 3, 4, figure10) and XRD (table 5, Fig. 11) analysis. The samples were barcoded using the following format: “Ojan Castle, 2020 (OC20), Tranche number (T), Sample code (S)”. For example, a sample would be labeled OC20-T16S01.

Discussion 
With the aim of structural analysis of the mortar used in the stone walls of Ojan Castle belonging to the Seljuk-Ilkhanate historical period in Bostanabad city, 10 samples of mortar were selected from different parts of the outer walls. Based on the results of the experiments (XRD, XRF), the use of mortar with the leading and dominant phase of gypsum is used in all samples, and also all types of phases with silicate structure and phases in the soil can be seen in all samples. To construct this mortar, high-purity gypsum and sand were used. Approximately %8 of the mortar composition consisted of other components, mainly soil elements such as Muscovite, Albite, Salts, etc. The presence of these materials and phases is natural due to the inherent porosity of gypsum mortar and the fact that this architectural structure has been buried in the soil for several centuries.

Conclusion 
The use of semi-fired, semi-pounded gypsum, with the addition of sand as an intermediate mortar between stones, as well as for pointing in various sections of the outer walls of Ojan Castle, indicates the use of processed gypsum mortar in cold regions such as Bostanabad in the northwest of the country. As we know, in the field of conservation and restoration of historical architecture, the use of authentic materials that correspond to the original substance is crucial for preserving the authenticity, historical value, and cultural significance of ancient artifacts.
Based on this principle, the use of traditionally processed gypsum for constructing traditional mortar in the conservation of this ancient site can be considered significant in terms of maintaining authenticity. Considering recent seasons of excavation and access inside the castle, conducting similar tests on samples of interior plaster can reveal the differences between the mortars used on the outer and inner surfaces. This information can provide insights for proposing restoration and conservation procedures for the site.