logo

Search published articles


Showing 12 results for Islamic Period

Dr Mohammad Ebrahim Zareei, Dr Mohammad Keikha,
year 0, Issue 0 (3-2024)
Abstract

Bibi Doost hills series around Bonjar city of the central part of Zabol city in the north of Sistan and Baluchestan province along the Niatak Duct in a north-south direction. These series of hills due to its Massive volume of cultural materials, especially pottery samples and the proximity to the Zahedan Kohne site the second government 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 Hills in the North of Zahedan Kohne Then, the samples of pottery collected from the level of Bibi Doost hills should be applied to: their typology and relative dating. The results of the studies indicate that it is important that the Bibi Doost hills 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.
 
Mahjobe Amirani Pour, Saeed Amirhajloo, Sara Saghaee,
year 2, Issue 3 (5-2018)
Abstract

Abstract
Narmashir plain at Kerman, has many settlements from Neolithic to Qajar era, But it has not considered by researchers. The pseudo-prehistoric ware is one of the pottery types of Islamic period that is identified in the archaeological surveys in Narmashir. This type, has also reported from South and South-West Iran in previous years, and it has identified recently in other regions of Iran. The Pseudo-Prehistoric wares don’t have the glaze, but they are painted with brown, ochre, red or orange geometric patterns. These types of wares are like prehistoric ones, but their clay, color, and motifs are different from prehistoric painted wares. Furthermore, they distribute along with glazed wares from Islamic sites in the most parts of Iran, and for this reason, they introduced as the Islamic Potteries. The aim of this article is to introduce and study and comparison of this type of pottery with the other samples of Iran. This helps to better understanding the Islamic cultures of South-East Iran and the communities of Lut desert margins.  The question is “what are the characteristics of pseudo-prehistoric wares of Narmashir in comparison with the other sites?” In this article, pseudo-prehistoric wares are introduced and studied. Then they have compared with other sites. The data have collected in documentary and field methods. The research method in this study is “descriptive-analytical”. Accordingly, in the old city of Narmashir, Jalal Abad and Rafi Abad, the pseudo-prehistoric wares with brown-red ornaments found from the context that contained the cultural material from Islamic middle ages. These samples have many similarities with the samples of south, south-eastern, northeastern, north and center of Iran. But the pseudo-prehistoric wares from Narmashir do not belong to the nomad communities, but they belong to the urban and sedentary settlements, unlike the samples of south and south-eastern Iran.
Keywords: Narmashir, unglazed painted wares, pseudo-prehistoric pottery, the historical sites of Islamic period.

Introduction
Narmashir plain at Kerman, has many settlements from Neolithic to Qajar era, But it has not considered by researchers. The old city of Narmashir (Choghook Abad site) has been introduced as one of the five main cities of Kerman, the center for agricultural and industrial products, the mediation center of Goods, and the serving location for the caravans, in the Islamic sources. This city was located along the road of India, Oman, and Sistan to the center of Iran. For this reason, it played an important role in the development of southeast Iran in early and middle Islamic era. The pieces of wares from early Islamic period to the 12th AH has identified on the surface of the Islamic sites of Narmashir, in the authors archaeological surveys. One of these wares is the unglazed painted ware (pseudo-prehistoric ware), which was reported by Sumner and Whitcomb for the first time in south and southwest Iran (Sumner & Whitcomb, 1999). But, several sites in Iran were introduced as the sites containing pseudo-prehistoric wares, after recent studies. The Pseudo-Prehistoric wares don’t have the glaze, but they are painted with brown, ochre, red or orange geometric patterns. These types of wares are like prehistoric ones, but their clay, color, and motifs are different from prehistoric painted wares. Furthermore, they distribute along with glazed wares from Islamic sites in the most parts of Iran, and for this reason, they introduced as the Islamic Potteries. The question is “what are the characteristics of pseudo-prehistoric wares of Narmashir in comparison with the other sites?” The aim of this article is to introduce and study and comparison of this type of pottery with the other samples of Iran. This helps to better understanding the Islamic cultures of South-East Iran and the communities of Lut desert margins. 

Data and analysis
The unglazed painted wares of south and southwest of Iran are very simple. They are painted in dark red or dark brown. The ornaments have appeared on the outer surface, upper part and around of their rims and handle. This motifs include simple, primitive, and careless lines, such as horizontal or vertical bands, curved and wavy lines, and zigzag designs. (Sedighian & Gholami, 2012: 135). They belong to the middle and late Islamic period (Ibid: 134). These wares have found in the old city of Narmashir, Jalal Abad and Rafi Abad. The pseudo-prehistoric wares of Narmashir, are similar to those one from southwest, center, north, and northeast of Iran. They have red or orange clay, buff slip, and mineral temper. Most of them have produced with the wheel. Their ornaments have painted in brown, red or orange. The samples of the old city of Narmashir are similar to the “Mad Abad” wares (see. Sumner & Whitcomb, 1999:320-321). The pieces of Jalal Abad and Rafi Abad are similar to those one from Atigh square of Isfahan and Samiran of Manjil (see. Sedighian & Gholami, 2012: 138). The technique of production of them is similar to the samples have reported from Bishapoor, which have painted by simple and curvy designs in red or black (see. Amiri et all. 2012: 13). Also, the samples of Kompos Bonari in Kohgiluiyeh (see. Qezelbash & Parviz, 2013: 123-124) and Qal’eh Dokhtar and Shahdezh in south Khorasan from 5th -7th AH (see. Sedighian & Gholami, 2012: 137) are similar to Narmashir wares. But, the samples of Narmashir are different from those one of Sistan and Bluchestan. The wares of Sistan and Baluchestan have the orange or red background and dark-brown motifs (see. Mousavi Haji et all. 2013: 127). The pseudo-prehistoric wares of Narmashir belong to the 5th – 8th century AH, based on similar samples found in the south of Khorasan, and center and southwest of Iran. The samples of Narmashir do not belong to the nomad communities, but they belong to the urban and sedentary settlements, unlike the samples of south and south-eastern Iran.

Conclusion
In the old city of Narmashir, Jalal Abad and Rafi Abad, the pseudo-prehistoric wares with brown-red ornaments found from the context that contained the material from Islamic middle ages. These samples have many similarities with the samples of south, south-eastern, northeastern, north and center of Iran. But the pseudo-prehistoric wares from Narmashir do not belong to the nomad communities, and they belong to the urban and sedentary settlements, unlike the samples of south and south-eastern Iran. Furthermore, the samples of Narmashir are different from pseudo-prehistoric wares in Sistan and Baluchestan, because the Sistan and Bluchestan samples have the red background and dark-brown ornaments. 

Reza Nazari Arshad, Khalilollah Beik Mohammadi, Nasrin Beik Mohammadi,
year 3, Issue 8 (9-2019)
Abstract

Abstract
Tuyserkan plain is one of the middy mountain and highland plains in Alvand Range, strategically one of the most important connector plains of western Iran and throughout history, especially the Islamic period, the path of the great Khorasan has been of considerable importance. This plain has been studied and identified during the winter of 2012. This study has been studied at random by collecting cultural material from the area of the site in order to identify and record ancient sites and monuments. The results of the study include 44 sites from the copper and stone Age to the late Islamic period, and according to the identified surface artifacts 14 of these sites have artifacts from different Islamic times, this area has shown importance in the Islamic era but so far the plain has not been explored in terms of the cultural developments of the Islamic settlements. The question now is, what are the characteristics of Islamic period in Tuyserkan plain and what is their pattern of distribution and expansion, and in what periods has it grown and expanded? The main purpose of the research is to study the archaeology of the Tuyserkan plain with the typology of cultural changes in the works and settlements of the Islamic periods and it is an appropriate pattern of distribution in the Tuyserkan plain. The research method utilizes spatial analysis and field and library, analysis of cultural works and materials collected from archaeological survey and study of Islamic settlements of Tuyserkan plain, it will be based on current theories of settlement patterns and archaeological landscape. The results show that the settlements of Islamic period of this plain are distributed in all parts of the plain, consisting of large enclosures as the main dwelling cores and small enclosures formed as small bases dependent on roads and arable land, in the Safavid period, the Tuyserkan plain also witnessed a growing number of settlements with the Carvansara and Bridge Farasfaj  being one of the most significant monuments of that period, and finally in the Zandieh and Qajar period expanding population and settlement. 
Keywords: Archaeology Study, Tuyserkan, Islamic Period, Archaeology Aspect.

Introduction
One of the most fundamental archaeological studies (archaeology surveys) to identify and deter mine the location of archaeological sites and settlement characteristics. Archaeological surveys are carried out to find out general information about settlement developments in different areas. This is a forerunner to archaeological excavation, which in fact means reconstructing and accurately identifying communities and their cultural achievements, archaeological studies are an important step in the analytical programs of the historical evolution of human societies and the selection of index sites for exploration. Based on the above, the Tuyserkan plain has been investigated and identified during the winter 2012. This study was conducted in a randomized manner by collecting cultural material from the enclosures at random to identify and record ancient sites and monuments stone age and copper period, and identified by surface artifacts, there are 14 sites from various Islamic periods that indicate the importance of this area in this period. Prior to this research, the Islamic period sites of Tuyserkan plain were not explored and it was necessary to study them. The lack of studies of Islamic settlements in the Tuysrkan plain provides the motivation for studying and comparing population- based settlements as well as their relevance to ancient habitats.

Identified Traces 
There are various definitions for the concept of landscape but all of these definitions are in common sense, and they include the structures created by humans between their own space and their natural structure. Obviously, human tissues in different societies are made in accordance with their environment. Many of today’s concepts and meanings of landscape come from the writings of German geographer otto schuler written in the early 20th century. He believes that geographical studies should be dedicated to the visible landscape. Human societies and natural geography are the two major factors that make up the Archaeological landscape structure. Since two- thirds of the world’s vegetation is made up of fields, pastures and artificial forests, one can understand the crucial role of humans in creating landscapes. Human societies are constantly changing and experiencing space throughout their lives, and the place is always confronted with the effects of human behavior. Tuserkan is a subsidiary city of Hamedan province with one area of about 1480 sq. K. M. Which covers 7.7.7. Of the area of Hamedan province. As we know in the year 21AH when the war of Nahavand occurred and led to the defeat of the Iranians against the Arabs, all areas of Hamedan including Tuserkan were captured. On the urban situation and the situation of the people in the Tuy and Serkan from the seventh to the tenth century AH there is no precise information, but since the tenth century, the rise of the Safavid dynasty, your village is known as Tuserkan while the Serkan remained with its old name.
Of course, there are no credible sources to show exactly what date Tuy name was converted to Tuserkan and the reason that the possibility of renaming this name whit the Safavid period should be known is that there are books related to this period that their authors have the reputation of Tyserkan while none of the works before the Safavid era have the reputation of Tuserkan. The few people in this place who are mentioned in some of the Safavid works are known as Tuyi and this shows that at first this village was famous under the same name as Tuyi.

Conclusion
 By studying Tuyserkan plain, 14 sites have been identified from different periods of the early Islamic to the later ages. Environmental factors have played an important role in the process of formation and expansion of these sites, factors such as height, suitable soil, access to communication, access to water resources and access to range lands. Most of this sites in this period were formed in lowland and mid- mountain and fertile lands in susceptible grassland areas. The impact of cultural and human factors on the pattern of settlement in Tuyserkan plain has not been affected. The peak of the flourishing and growing of settlements dates back to the early and middle centuries of Islam and its decline in later Islamic times. In recent centuries the number of sites has diminished and never reaches the boom of the early and middle ages. The reason for this was the growth of population in the main sites and surrounding areas, which have become large cities and villages today, and their lives continue. The results show that the settlements of the Islamic period of Tuyserkan plain are distributed in all parts of plain, consisting of large sites as the main center of settlement and small sites as bases of roads and arable land.

Mohammad Farjami, Ali-Asqar Mahmoodi-Nasab,
year 4, Issue 14 (2-2021)
Abstract

Abstract
Despite the importance of the eastern regions of Iran, especially South Khorasan in the process of historical developments in Iran, archaeological research has not been done in this region. Kahnak archaeological site is an important Islamic site in South Khorasan province in the east of Iran where the weakness of environmental conditions and climatic constraints, especially the lack of water resources, has led to the formation of large and densely populated areas and settlements in this region. As this site provides economic, social, and cultural connections between the northern (Khorasan) and the southern regions (Sistan), which is also on another main route, it is very important for archaeological studies in the east of the country. Main routes have been a decisive factor in the location of human groups throughout history, and this has been more influential in areas where their habitats have been adjacent to major trade routes and communication roads. Kahnek site is considered as a place for educational activities of the Department of Archeology of Birjand University. From 2014 to 2019 excavation activities in this area have continued for six consecutive seasons. In this research, the fourth season of these excavations and their findings are introduced. The study aims to identify and analyze the architectural space called Kahnek Castle on the east side of the area in the winter of 2016. According to the surface data and excavations, the Kahnek site belongs to the third and fourth centuries until the Timurid period, and most of the gathered data include potteries and architectural structures are related to the Islamic Middle Ages. The architectural structures found in this season of excavation are mainly related to the architectural spaces of the castle. The present work is carried out in descriptive-analytical method and historical-cultural approach based on field data and library resources. 
Keywords: Establishment of the Islamic Period, Archaeological Excavation, Sarbisheh City, Kahnek Site.

Introduction
Regarding the archeology of the east of the country, especially South Khorasan, no studies have been conducted in this region, and the knowledge of researchers from the mentioned areas is more limited to the information contained in historical sources and texts and so far few articles and books about Archeology of this area has been published. One of the important sites of the Islamic Middle Ages in this region is the Kahnek site in Sarbisheh city. This site was selected in 2014 by the General Directorate of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts of South Khorasan and in collaboration with Birjand University as an internship site for archeology students of the Faculty of Arts - Birjand University and archaeological activities continuously until 2019, In this, it has continued. In the past, the Kahnek area was located as a settlement on an important communication route, which according to the cultural data obtained, it was determined that the establishment of Kahanek continued its life from the third and fourth centuries AH to the late Islamic (Safavid) centuries. In this study, the findings of the fourth chapter of the site are introduced. The cultural data obtained from the excavation of this site, in addition to architecture and pottery, have been other materials such as animal bone remains, decorative and functional metals, glassware pieces, metal and pottery ornaments, etc. This research tries to address these questions: 1- What is the plan of the explored architectural spaces of the ancient castle? 2- Can the influence of neighboring cultures be seen in the pottery of the Kahnek area? The research hypotheses are as follows: 1- According to the excavations, the old castle has a relatively circular plan and limited architectural spaces with square rooms. 2- Kahnek site is affected by neighboring areas due to its location in an important communication route that extends from north to south so that Neishabour-style pottery is one of the leading pottery styles of this area in the first centuries.

Geographical Location and Description of Excavation in Kahnek Site
Kahnek area is located in South Khorasan province, Sarbisheh city, in Mo’menabad rural district of the central part of this city and 50 meters east of Kahanek village and is located at 764602 longitudes and 3603433 latitudes. Architectural spaces in the fourth season of excavating the old area in 2015 are related to rooms with dimensions of 2×3 meters, which are related to the space of the castle tower. The potteries obtained in this excavation season are divided into two glazed and unglazed groups belonging to the early to late Islamic centuries. In addition to the potteries, an oil lamp, a metal scrap (possibly a coin), parts of quern-stones, a saw, pieces of glass, a chunk of glazed brick, a sharpening knife, and remnants of animals bones were found. According to the excavations and cultural materials and architectural evidence, three stages can be considered for this site. In the first and new stage of the site, it has been used as a temporary settlement in connection with livestock and agriculture. The second stage is related to the Islamic Middle Ages and at the same time with the Seljuk, Ilkhanid, and Timurid eras in which the site is at the greatest prosperity and development. The third stage of the area and the oldest one is related to the early Islamic centuries and the formation of the area, which shows the extensive connections of this area with northern Khorasan. At this stage, the architectural structures are built of clay with a wide foundation and thinner upperparts.

Conclusion
Archaeological excavation of the Kahnek site was carried out in 2016 with the cooperation of the General Directorate of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts of South Khorasan and Birjand University. The findings in this season of the excavation are the architectural works of several interconnected rooms with different dimensions. The walls of these architectural spaces are mostly made of clay; adobe and stone are rarely used in their foundations. Since most of the architectural spaces are detrital and in some spaces the adobes are placed diagonally next to each other, the roof of the residential spaces was probably made of rough-arch adobe. The pottery samples of the Kahnak area, which are the most important documents for the chronology of this area, can be compared with the samples and potteries of different regions in South Khorasan, particularly in North Khorasan and Kerman. The results of studies of samples and their comparisons show that the pottery in this area is related to the early Islamic centuries to the late Timurid and early Safavid periods. It can be said that trade routes played a key role in the process of communication and cultural similarities between different regions. Moreover, the Greater Khorasan Road is not only important for east-west connections but also it has been important for connecting the north and south of the Iranian plateau. Main routes have been an important factor in the location of human groups throughout history, which is more effective in areas where their ecosystems are adjacent to major trade routes and communication roads. However, it can be said that the climate has the most important impact on the process of leaving the inhabitants of this area, and agriculture, which is the main economic pillar of the region, has caused it to be abandoned due to climate change.

Fereshteh Sharifi, - Mohmmad-Ebrahim Zarei,
year 5, Issue 15 (6-2021)
Abstract


Ali Hozhabri,
year 6, Issue 19 (5-2022)
Abstract

Abstract
A large part of Iran is located in dry areas, for this reason, various measures have been taken for water management, especially surface water. Dry weather, lack of rainfall, seasonality of river water and gradual drying of rivers, created the idea of water storage in the form of dams, aqueducts and cisterns in the human mind. The cisterns have different designs depending on the climatic and social conditions of each region. Also, the architecture of such buildings in different regions has been influenced by local architecture. Optimum management of low rainfall in a few days of the year in an area that due to the geological texture of the underground water table is insignificant and salty was a sign of the genius of the inhabitants of the Iranian plateau for water storage. With the progress of this tradition, especially during Islamic periods, the number of settlements in the region increased. One of the water storage structures is the cisterns, which were built along the flood path so that the surface water is directed to them after the rain and used for various purposes.  The question is, considering the scarcity of water in the region, is it possible to restore this structure in a modern way by reviving the past techniques? Due to the low but heavy rainfall in the south of the country, the ponds, in addition to providing an important part of the residents’ water, also act as floodgates, and with one rain at the end of the summer season and a few rains in the winter season, all the thousands of ponds in the south of the country are filled. But with the dependence of these areas on the water of the dams, in addition to the pressure on the country’s water resources, this historical tradition is gradually being forgotten. However, from the results of this research, based on the statistics, it seems that the restoration of the ponds -with government support and with a modern design based on historical patterns- will provide the possibility of water supply for the residents of the region.
Keywords: Barka, Ab-Anbar, Islamic Period, Fars, Hormozgan.

Introduction
The relationship between water and the world of existence can be defined from two perspectives: one is quantitative and experimental sciences and the other is spiritual issues of life and knowledge. Iran is considered one of the dry tropical regions of the world due to its special geographical position and very scattered unevenness’s and the influence of other factors. With this description, being located in the dry and water-scarce regions of the world, water has always had a high value and dignity in Iran, and for this reason, many advances and innovations have emerged in the field of water extraction and transportation. Among the most important of these developments, we can mention aqueducts, reservoirs, dams and weirs, as well as other types of structures and management operations that have been used. Therefore, the creative solutions of human connection with water have played a remarkable role in alleviating harsh natural conditions and in the meantime, the construction of water reservoirs has become popular in the extremes of Iran and water reservoirs have been built in many cities. Reservoirs with their interesting architecture are usually built in arid, desert and semi-arid areas to store rainwater more than in other places.
Iran’s governments in Islamic eras, with emphasis on issues related to hygiene and purity, built water reservoirs as an essential element in the lives of Muslims in or near mosques. And they became more common near them, with the evolution, development of agriculture and trade in this era, the construction of water reservoirs in villages led to the development of village, and as a result, the increase in population along the caravan roads led to the expansion of roads. It became commercial and accordingly it became commercial. At the same time with the development of Islam in different countries and the expansion of cultural exchanges, thanks to the blessing of the religion and the unified central government, construction techniques developed a lot. Construction of cylindrical-shaped tanks became common in Iran during this period due to the relatively low cost of construction and the greater resistance of its body against water pressure. Perhaps the method of making spherical or conical domes appeared in Iranian architecture from this period and for this reason. During this period, with the emergence of new cities and neighborhoods, reservoirs were placed next to mosques, schools, markets and government palaces like centralizing elements, and therefore it seems that reservoirs were a place for various social interactions. One of the prominent features of the city in Islamic era was the facilities such as mosques, bazaars, reservoirs, aqueducts, etc. The reservoir in the center of the neighborhood or city, in addition to providing water, is an excellent sign of There was a need for urban social life, for this reason, these buildings were sometimes built as a complex, such as a caravanserai complex, a reservoir, a guard house, a watchtower, and a refrigerator. The main passages or alleys sometimes branch off and lead to one or more houses. In addition to the possibility of reaching the neighborhood centers and the city center, the crossings also provide the possibility of quick and easy access to water reservoirs.

Conclusion
The lifestyle of Iranians, especially with the end of the Qajar period, became different from the past, one of which is fresh water piping. At the same time, the management of water resources in local ways caused the economic prosperity of the country based on the existing surface resources and underground water tables and the lack of pressure on them. Water cisterns have been a historical investment from the distant past, which, in addition to drinking, have also been used for industrial and agricultural purposes. Considering that currently one of the management problems is still the supply of drinking water in different regions of the country, it is suggested to provide part of the water problems of arid and semi-arid areas by restoring water reservoirs and creating examples of them in larger dimensions. Since the biggest management problem of water is its production, the past taught us that even in places where the underground water table is salty and there is no permanent river on the surface of the earth, fresh and pleasant water can be produced with some measures, and these methods will bring prosperity to the population and Roads have been expanded and the population has increased. Today, the experiences and techniques of the past should be used with today’s science to develop country and prevent consequences of dehydration and drought. Therefore, this article is a proposal in which the Ministry of Energy;  Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts; Ministry of Agriculture; Ministry of Roads and City Planning; Iran Water and Power Resources Development Company; Country Water and Wastewater Engineering Company; Iran Water Resources Management Company;  Organization of forests, pastures and watershed management of country; And, of course, local communities play a significant role in maintaining and building water reservoirs as water storage tanks.

Tahereh Shishehbori, Hossein Ahmadi, Ahmad Salehikakhki,
year 6, Issue 20 (9-2022)
Abstract

Abstract
Inscriptions in the decorations of building of the Islamic period have been noticed by artists since the early Islamic centuries. Overtime, inscriptions are damaged by various factors and need to be restored. Considering that every year in the country, a large amount of restoration operations are carried out on damaged historical monuments, including inscriptions. It was seen through the investigation that in most cases the restorations are tasteful and sometimes incorrect. In order to find the most important causes of incorrect restoration in written inscriptions, the qualitative method was used, and the grounded theory method was used to analyze the data. This research is practical in terms of purpose. The data was collected through field observations and interviews with 12 people related to the restoration of inscriptions and by purposeful sampling, and the data continued until theoretical saturation was reached. The results of the research showed that in addition to the lack of criteria that agree with the theoretical foundations of restorations, due to the prominence of the calligraphy and category, factors such as self-centered empiricism, the variety of viewpoints, knowledge and awareness of the traditional master craftsman and the rules of restoration and the lack of the artistic perspective of the traditional master craftsman. For various reasons, inscriptions have led to incorrect restorations, and of course, the lack of training courses by the institutions in charge of restoration has also been involved. Also, the variety of approaches in the restoration of inscriptions and lack of attention to the rules governing the art of inscriptions are considered as the most important consequences of the restoration of inscriptions. 
Keywords: Written Inscription, Incorrect Restoration, Foundation Data Theory, Architecture of The Islamic Period of Iran.

Introduction
With the beginning of the Islamic era and the restoration of human and animal depictions, the use of inscriptions with religious, literary and historical themes reached its peak with various calligraphy methods and styles. This enduring art that is inscription is still performed by artists to this day. Inscription like other historical works, suffer from various physical, chemical, biological and human damages, and from various perspectives of value, aesthetics, originality, legibility, unity and integrity they suffer serious damage. Therefore, despite the important characteristics mentioned about this category of written works, the need to pay attention to this category of work is revealed in restoration operations. The importance of paying attention to the issue among other valuable historical and cultural work is important in the sense that there is a lake of criteria in accordance with the theoretical foundations of restoration, for the restoration of areas lacking in this category of valuable written works. Although in most cases, the restoration of this category of works is often done under the supervision of restoration experts, the approach and methods of doing the work in different examples are not subject to scientific principles and are mostly tasteful and sometimes incorrect and without regard to the ruling principles, they are restored on the art of calligraphy and inscriptions and it has caused distortion and sometimes loss of the of the inscription, its values and message.
According to examples of the restoration of written inscriptions ,when the restoration of a written inscription is done incorrectly , in fact, readability , integrity and beauty ( Beauty is in  harmony , balance, proportion , even beauty in observing the rules and recognizing the values and materials have been used (Qutbi, 1352, 31) the inscription is distorted and the audience , when viewing an inscription that has been incorrectly restored , gets the visual pleasure of seeing the harmony and connection between the words in an inscription will bs deprived. In fact, carrying out the restoration operation should reduce the inconsistency caused by the lack of space and help to read the work better.

Method Research
The upcoming research is applied research in terms of its purpose, because the researcher seek to obtain information that can be used in practical situations or solve a problems by means of them and obtain a solution to a problem. This research is a qualitative research in terms of method and in terms of data collection, it is based on field studies, interviews, observation and collection of documents and texts within the framework of the grounded theory method. The interview was conducted with the purposeful sampling method and until the theoretical saturation was reached 12 people were interviewed among the restoration experts, inscription artists and master traditional craftsmen. Grounded theory and systematic coding were used to analyze the interviews.

Research Background
Although restoration of inscriptions has always been one of the concerns of restorers, it seems that a comprehensive, coherent and effective study has not been done in this field. For example, the following can be mentioned: the Scientifics specialized and professional restoration community has not restoration of inscriptions of mosaic tiles in Iran (Soleimani et al., 2014), researchers have criticized the methods of restoration of mosaic tiles but there is no mention of the causes of its correct restoration. Also, sources such as Quchani (1365: 51), Bler (1394: 30) and Qader (1391: 86 &103) mention the non-original restorations of the reason for that has not been discussed. By checking the databases related to non-Persian theses, unfortunately, no example similar to the subject of this research was found. In line with above investigations, Persian sources were also carefully checked. 

Conclusion
Inscriptions are one of the most important and valuable works of the Islamic period and they are a living document from different perspectives such as historical, artistic etc. Restoration of inscription has always been one of the concerns of restorers. But the results of the interview and data showed that the main factor in the variety of approaches in the restoration of inscriptions and the lack of attention to the rules and regulations of inscriptions in the process of restoration operations is self-centered empiricism. Among the traditional craftsmen and even the scribes who are somehow related to the restoration process of the inscriptions, ignorance of the restoration rules or even ignorance of the different aspects of the inscriptions can be seen. Also, looking at the conducted interviews, it can be pointed out that the role of the custodian institutions in relation to the restoration of inscription is weak, unfortunately, in this field , training courses are not held for the inscription writers and traditional masters, and it seems that by holding training courses and obliging inscription writers and traditional masters to participate in these classes, recognizing the values of the works and observing various aspects in the matter of restoration are institutionalized. Even though in most cases, restoration operations are carried out under the supervision of restoration experts unfortunately, due to the lake of standards in the restoration of inscriptions shortage areas, diversity of approaches in the restoration of inscriptions and even incorrect restorations can be seen, also, it seems that one of the challenges in the field of protection and restoration of written inscriptions is the theoretical issues related.
To the restoration of this category of valuable written works: because the theoretical reliance of the theoretical discussions of conservation and restoration is often focused on Western theorists and their studies and theories, which have been explained from the viewpoint of a group of researchers and following the statements of summits, charters and such. Especially, when these theoretical rules are put forward in a general way and without considering the spatial, temporal and cultural background, they usually face constructions. In order to correct and solve these problems, attention should be paid to the local knowledge, which can be a way forward in view of the existing knowledge in the field of Iranian architecture and the rules governing the art of inscriptions, and in order to add new concepts and foundations to the field of conservation knowledge and restoration can be considered. 

Reza Naseri, Seyed Mehdi Miri,
year 6, Issue 22 (2-2023)
Abstract

Abstract
Abstract: Wood has been a suitable raw material for the expression of taste, talent, art and creativity of craftsmen and artists in different periods. Iranian artists in the Islamic period, like other industries, have created the most exquisite artworks made of wood. During the Islamic period, in the construction of the architectural elements of religious buildings, such as wood turning, fret work, Gereh Chini, and Khatam’s artworks were made of wood, which studying on them in terms of the evolution and transformation of wood-related industries as material and cultural remains of the Islamic period, as well as analyzing the themes of their religious motifs and inscriptions, has been of special importance. Considering the importance of this subject, not many studies have been conducted in this field of research. During the archaeological survey that was carried out in 2014 in order to identify the cultural historical monuments of Bavanat city, many wooden artworks were identified and observed, and the upcoming research is in line with the introduction and analysis of these findings. In this regard, the questions of this research are: What wooden artworks have been left from the Islamic period of Bavanat, and what are the decorative elements and themes of their inscriptions? From Jame Mosque of Bavanat and holy shrine of Hamzeh of Bazm, various hand-made wooden structures have remained, including doors, windows, pulpits, and wooden latticework, the delicacy and proficiency in their construction are remarkable. Since the two studied buildings, the mosque and holy shrine, have religious uses the general inscriptions also included Quranic verses, Shahadatein, Shahadat-e Salaseh, Salavat and the names of the Imams, which shows the influence of Shia religion on the industry and art of this period.
Keywords: Islamic Period, Bavanat, Fret Work, Gereh Chini, Pulpit.

Introduction
Wooden objects due to their nature, in most cases, after losing their functions, are used as fuel for the fire, which is one of the main factors that makes the findings of this industry very rare. Unfortunately, not many studies have been done on Iran’s wood industries, and the studies that have been done are case-based studies. The wooden artworks in the Jame Mosque of Shiraz, which belongs to the period of Amr-i Laith Saffari (first half of the third century A.H.), can be considered one of the oldest artworks of wood crafts left in Iran (Mehrpooya, 1997: 197). From the 6th century A.H., wooden artworks such as the pulpit of Mashkol village in Ardabil province with the construction dating back to 541 AH (Maleki Galandouz & Mohammadi, 2012), The wooden door of Bayazid Bastam Mosque dated 707 to 709 A.H., the pulpit in Jame Mosque of Nain with the date of 711 A.H., the wooden Qur’an stand in the Metropolitan Museum dated to 761 A.H., the coffin (box) of Hazrat-e Abdol Azim shrine (Mehrpooya, 1997: 200; Blair & Bloom, 2002, 54; Dimand, 2004: 123). With the beginning of the Safavid period, many produced works of art were mostly included wooden doors with geometric and limited animal decorations, Sash Windows (Orosi), wooden frames of the ceiling, wooden columns, wooden latticework, coffins, wood inlayand fret work. (Attarzadeh,1995: 18; Dimand, 2004: 125, Sedighiyan & Sadeghi, 2013: 59). During the archaeological survey in Bavanat in 2014, various wooden crafts were observed, which shows the taste and art of this region in the production of wooden artworks. Although the background of this art in this region is not very clear, through historical sources, we can understand the centrality of this region in the Qajar period. In the book “Cities and Trade of Iran in the Qajar Period” by Keith Edward Abbott, he has mentioned the products of the Bavanat wood industry. Considering the importance of wooden crafts among the visual arts and the role of themes of inscriptions in understanding the thoughts of religious beliefs of the Islamic era, in this paper, an attempt is made to investigate and introduce the wooden artworks of this region.

Archaeological Survey of Bavanat
Bavanat city is located in the northeast of Fars province with Bavanat city as its center. Following the surveys in different regions of Iran in the 1930s, Stein made brief surveys and sounding in Bavanat (Stein, 1936). Following the survey of the Marvast Dam basin, Helwing and Askari Chavardi visited several sites of Monj in 2006 (Helwing, 2007). The first season of the archaeological survey of this area took place in April and May 2014. During the survey, 200 findings were documented, which can be dated from the Neolithic period to the late Islamic period which includes Tappeh and ancient sites, historical castles, ritual places of the historical period, mosques, bridges, cemeteries, mills, rock carvings, ancient mines and sites of slags (Khanipour et al., 2018).

Bavanat Wood Industries
Bavanat wooden crafts include wooden containers or vessels discovered from Kan Gohar Cave, pulpit and wooden door of the Grand Mosque, latticework, doors and windows of holy shrine of Hamzeh, which will be discussed further.
Jame Mosque of Bavanat: This building is located in the center of Bavanat city, which is built in two floors. The mosque has a circular dome, which is located above Mihrab, and under the dome is an inscription of Quranic verses in Thuluth, with decorations, the script of which is the work of Mohammad Isfahani and dated 772 A.H., The delicate decorations used in the construction of the wooden pulpit of this mosque, and according to the inscription on it, have turned this historical work into one of the unique examples of Iran’s wooden arrays in the 8th century A.D. There is an inscription on the pulpit with the name of the founder and the date of its construction. this pulpit was built in 771 A.H. (Sarikhani, 2007: 63; Khanipour et al., 2021: 16-17). The wooden entrance door of the mosque is in the eastern wall, which according to the inscription dates its construction to the Safavid period.

Holy Shrine of Seyyed Shah Mirhamzeh
Holy Shrine of Seyyed Shah Mirhamzeh has located 18 km from Bavanat city, in Bazm village. This building was first included in the list of national monuments in 1936. latticework of holy shrine of Bazm is very artistically carved in wood. This latticework is decorated with relief carvings on three sides, and two inscriptions are engraved on it, indicating the name of the builder and the date of construction. On the door of latticework, there are poems indicating that it was written during the reign of Shah Abbas. The entrance door of holy shrine of is double-leaf, on top of both there is an inscription and in the middle of each one, there is a metal knocker. The outer surface is decorated with rhombus diagonal lines on each leaf of the door. The wooden door inside the holy shrine of is double-leaf that are decorated with Moaragh-kari. The door frame is carved with geometric motifs, which according to the construction, color, and type of wood, the construction of the double-leaf door is probably newer than the door frame and facade.

Kan-Gohar Cave
Kan-Gohar cave mine is located at the heights of the southern border of Bavanat Plain. In 2010, a large number of human bones and skulls, which were regularly placed there, were discovered by the residents of the region. To clarify the issue, first of all, historical sources were studied. In the historical sources, it is mentioned, after the collapse of the Ilkhanid patriarchal government and the lack of centralized power, a village in Bavanat was attacked and the villagers took refuge in a cave to save their lives. Their hiding place was revealed, so a fire was lit at the entrance of the cave, and in the resulting smoke, all the people inside the cave were killed. Some sources mention Malik Ashraf Choupani (Yazdi, 1947: 153-154; Katbi, 1985: 48-49, Samarqandi, 1996: 212) and some Ray Malik (Hafiz Ebru, 1938: 172; 1993: 206-208) as the cause of this murdering. A tray, a bowl and a wooden spoon were found in this cave, along with the existing burials, which were probably part of the dishes of these people that they took with them to the cave.

Conclusion
In the Bavanat area, there are wooden works from the 8th, 10th and 11th centuries A.H. The wooden artworks of the Kan-Gohar cave have been preserved due to their location inside the cave, and the wooden works of the Grand Mosque and holy shrine of have been preserved due to their holiness. Among the various methods of production and decoration of the wood industry, in the Bavanat region, we can observe fret work, woodturning, Gereh-Chini and Moaragh-Kari, which more than fret work is used. In terms of the function of the wooden handicrafts studied in this article, they can be divided into two categories: architecture-related necessities and everyday utensils or objects. In the construction of wooden crafts, geometric patterns and Eslimi, and in most cases, inscriptions are written on them. The read inscriptions, which are generally located on wooden artworks, were in line with the function of the buildings. In the meantime, during the Safavid period, emphasis is placed on the names of Shia imams, especially Imam Ali.
 


Majid Montazerzohouri, Mohsen Javeri, Dieter Weber,
year 6, Issue 22 (2-2023)
Abstract

Abstract
The historical site of Vigol and Haraskan is located near Aran and Bidgol city in the north of Isfahan province. The archaeological studies of the first season of this site led to the identification of the central part of a fire temple and a small part of its circumambulation corridor. The second season of the archeological exploration in the fire temple was to identify other spaces around the central part of the fire temple. Archaeological studies revealed that since this fire temple was built in the urban context, it is more important than the fire temples that were built away from settlement areas. Beside architectural evidences, religious elements and decorative stucco relics found in this fire temple, the identification of several Sassanid Pahlavi inscriptions on the walls of the eastern circumambulation corridor of the fire temple and two Ostracons added to its importance. Pahlavi inscriptions founded on stucco plaster of the dado which are written in a beautiful handwriting. Unfortunately, except for a few inscriptions, most of them cannot be read and require extensive research. In this research data collection about Vigol fire temple and its Pahlavi inscriptions was done by field methods and linguistic and descriptive-analytical studies. The main questions of the research are: What is the content of Pahlavi inscriptions and what themes do they include? What period of time does the estimated date of writing these inscriptions include? Given to linguistic and archeological studies, the placement of these inscriptions inside the fire temple, the content and of them has religious themes, and according to their writing style, these inscriptions were probably written in the 7th and 8th centuries AD. According to the dating of the inscriptions, it seems that the fire temple of Vigol had a high reputation until the early Islamic centuries and was probably abandoned forever in the first of 9th AD century.
Keywords: Vigol and Haraskan, Fire Temple,Sassanan Period, Islamic Period, Pahlavi Inscription.

Introduction
Vigol ancient site has located in near Aran and Bidgol County in central of Iran (fig1). That is a vast site which covers more than 120 hectares, is currently covered with a thick accumulation of flowing sand. Archaeological excavations in the year 2010 led to the discovery of Sasanian fire temples in the site of Vigol and Hraskan, and the identification of four arches and a part of the circumambulation corridor was done in the first season of the excavation (Javari & MontazerZohouri, 2022). The second season of excavation in Vigol fire temple began in May 2021, which was aimed at identifying other spaces around the central part of the fire temple.
One of the most important evidences is the discovery of several Pahlavi inscriptions on one of dados and two walls which covered with ocher in the western corridor. These inscriptions, in addition to providing some religious statements, help us to identify the existence of the fire temple.In the procedure in the first stage, the found Pahlavi inscriptions were read, and along it, they were compared with archaeological and historical evidences. The number of inscriptions identified in this fire temple are six, but three of them are readable. Also, two pieces of written pottery (Ostracons) were also identified, which are still not readable due to high erosion.
The second season of the excavation of the fire temple was dedicated to the four-arched doorways (char taqi) of the fire temple on the north, east and west sides(fig2). In the next step, the exploration focused on identifying the spaces of ambulatory corridors in the north, east, west, and south sides around the four arches of the fire temple. Archeological studies as well as historical evidence about the fire temples led to the recognition of several architectural phases in this religious building. The second phase of the architecture of this fire temple is related to the porticoes built in the east of the fire temple and the third architectural phase is related to the period of the change of use of this fire temple in the Islamic period, when some spaces of the fire temple, such as the northern and western gates and the gates in the eastern corridor, were blocked with mud brick walls.

Inscriptions
A total of six inscriptions have been found on the walls of the eastern ambulatory corridor in the southern part, of which three inscriptions have been read. Among the six identified inscriptions, two inscriptions are on the eastern wall, one of these two inscriptions is written on the northern dado and the other is written on the upper part of the southern wall on which has an ocher cover. Four other inscriptions were written on the western of the southern part of wall of the eastern circumambulation corridor in front of the inscriptions on the eastern wall which all due to erosion are not readable (Fig3).
Inscription No. 1 located on the western wall is considered the clearest inscription in this collection, which is written on the stucco plaster of the wall with a legible and well-written script that is in five lines(Fig5). The text of the inscription was read by Professor Dieter Weber, a specialist in ancient languages, which is as follows: The text of the first inscription, according to the transliteration and reading of the inscription, has repeated and practiced writing the word “wrote” (nwbšht), which can be fallowed this word in other Pahlavi inscriptions. A number of thin pieces of plaster of this dado of the eastern wall of the Eastern ambulatory Corridor, which contain Pahlavi letters, were identified during the excavation at the side of the floor of this corridor(Table1). These thin gypsum pieces are part of the dado of the wall and contain several connected words and part of a legible and sometimes indistinct letter, which are written on the plaster using black ink with a pen, just like the original upper inscription. In terms of the dating of inscription number one and other inscriptions, according to Professor Weber, who studied this inscriptions, this writing style of Pahlavi script belongs to the late Pahlavi script, in other wise, to the early Islamic period, almost equal to 7th 8th centuries AD are relate.
Inscription No.2, this inscription is written in one line, which probably reflects a religious theme(Fig 8 ). The text of the inscription says: “(donated) to šād ruy baxt Āzarmugh”; in another sense, “it was charmingly presented to Āzarmugh”. This inscription is of special importance because it contains the name of a Zoroastrian priest of this region in the Islamic period, “Āzarmugh”. This evidence also tells about the existence of Zoroastrian religion in the early Islamic centuries in this region and the insistence of the residents of this area to preserve this religion.
‘L š’tlwdbht ’clmwk
ō šadrōybaxt Āzarmōg
Inscription number three, which is written in two lines, is still not possible to provide a consistent reading and translation due to erosion and lack of clarity(Fig 8 ).
1 KR’  MNW wlt’ý Y ZNH … l’d
2 BYN …… k’lyt …-b’k wl t’ý Y ZNH  
The phonetic writing of this inscription is as follows. In this inscription, there are words that include some illegible words and some Huzvariš, which are as follows: (KR’) with the reading of “har”:(evry); (MNW) with the reading of “Ke, Keš”:(which); (BYN) with the reading of  “andar”:(in,inner); and (ZNH) with the reading of “en”:(this).

Conclusion
The discovery of Pahlavi inscriptions in the fire temple of Vigol, in addition to the linguistic and grammar value in the field of linguistic studies and the Pahlavi lines of archaeological importance, is a great help for further understanding of the fire temple of Vigol as a fire temple with the rank of Adran, which is in the rank of local fire temples. The first important point is the place where these inscriptions were written in the fire temple, all of them were written in the eastern circumambulatory corridor in the southern part, on the stucco plaster of the dado  of the western wall and on the ocher cover of the upper part of the eastern wall. It seems that due to the location of the porticoes as places related to religious ceremonies in the east of the fire temple and the role of the Eastern circumambulatory corridor between the interior of the fire temple and the porticoes, this corridor has gained more importance and is a suitable place to insert religious inscriptions. In addition to including statements of religious nature and Zoroastrian tradition, the inscriptions help us in determining the historical and archaeological chronology of this fire temple. Based on the studies, according to the writing method and the type of pen, these inscriptions were written in the early Islamic centuries, which prove the religious persistence of the Zoroastrian community in the region until the early Islamic centuries on the other hand, the inclusion of the name “Azarmug” as a Zoroastrian cleric (Mubed) in the early Islamic centuries in central Iran is of particular importance.

Fakhredin Mohamadiyan, Seyed Rasool Mosavihaji, Ahmad Salehi Kakhki,
year 7, Issue 25 (12-2023)
Abstract

Abstract
Tomb buildings are one of the most important types of Islamic architecture. Studying such a building in a geographical context gives us a meaningful understanding of these works. The vast region of Tabas, despite having a rich capacity of magnificent historical and cultural monuments, has been neglected by officials and archaeologists due to its desolation and difficult geographical conditions. In the archaeological study of the Jokhah section of Tabas, which was carried out in 2015, several buildings were identified, including a single tomb. So far, this building has not been the subject of detailed and methodical research on how the structure of architecture and dating is based on comparison with other mausoleum buildings, so the need for this research was provided. In this research, the construction method of the building has been considered according to the dome, the execution of the dome and the type of materials and the type of decorations used. The present research is based on a descriptive-analytical purpose and its nature is based on historical approaches. The methodology of accumulations is based on field studies and citation of library resources. This article tries to analyze the identity and date of construction of the tomb of Jokhah Tabas, based on archaeological findings, comparative studies and also citing written sources of the Islamic period. The results of studies show that the construction pattern of this tomb is derived from the square design of tomb buildings in Greater Khorasan in the early centuries of the Islamic period. However, by comparing material culture data and building elements with other similar works, the date of its construction can be attributed to the late sixth-early seventh century AH.
Keywords: Tomb, Architecture, Historical Identity, Middle Islamic Period, Jokhah Tabas.

Introduction
The tomb as a type of ritual-cultural architecture is the result of two-way interaction between man and nature throughout history. Hence, the study of these religious buildings in the geographical context, provides us with a meaningful understanding and recognition of them. In Islamic period of Iran, tomb buildings are considered one of the most important and numerous types of architecture after mosques. »The scope of construction of tombs with the emergence of different local governments in the early centuries of Hijri, simultaneously with the weakening of the Abbasid caliphate, became popular in the east and north of Iran« and it developed with a significant speed in all of Iran and found an important role in the social atmosphere of cities and villages. In such a way that it was considered the most important pillar of every city and village after the comprehensive mosques. Therefore, “cemeteries and their construction methods are very important from the point of view of architecture and the use of arched structures” and they require careful investigation and research in various fields. There are several individual tombs in Tabas, which according to historical sources belong to chieftains or clerics, after the domination of the eastern regions of Iran in the early centuries AH. As; Mohammad Jafar Tayar’s tomb in Azmighan, Tabas, Mir Omar’s tomb in Korit Tabas. One of these tombs, which is known in Islamic sources as the tomb of one of the Arab generals, is a tomb located in the historical site of Jokhah village. So far, this building has not been the subject of a detailed and methodical research regarding the architectural structure and dating based on comparison with other tomb buildings, hence the necessity of conducting this research. The brief research activities that have been carried out have mostly described the architecture of this tomb. In this research, the architectural style, decorations and functional materials of this building have been compared with the tombs of the middle Islamic period in the geographical area of Khorasan, which is more related in terms of time and place. Since the building does not have a building inscription, the name of the founder or the owner of the tomb, it is not possible to propose its date with certainty. Therefore, one of the goals of this research is the proposed dating of Jokhah tomb using comparative studies of other tomb buildings and referring to Islamic sources and texts.

Discussion
Jokhah village is located 24 km from Tabas city. A tomb building is located 500 meters southwest of Jokhah village, between the agricultural land and the village cemetery. The name of Jokhah was applied to this village in the contemporary period, and before that it was known as Chardeh. The name of this building goes back to the name of Jokhah village and before that it was known as the Tomb of Sephesalar or two commanders.
Jokhah Tomb is a type of domed square buildings. According to the remains of the building, the outer space consists of three parts, the body platform and the dome. The geometry of the plan and the form of Jokhah tomb reflects the design of Sassanid fire temples. The geometry of the building is square. The current height is about 23 feet and its foundation has been done on a platform. The materials used in the foundations of Jokhah tomb are made of clay, mud and plaster. Bricks are used only for cornering and doming of the building. The three doors of this building are in the front porch and have the same dimensions. This repetition on three fronts has given the building a special rhythm. There are three holes on the three sides of the building above each door. Due to the distinct shape of the entrance space, this building consists of four parts: the platform, the body, the entrance porch and the domed room.
The cover of the brick dome of Jokhah tomb has collapsed. This is comparable to the domes of the Twelve Imams of Yazd (5th century AH) and the tomb of Khosroabad Tabas (5th century AH). Based on the available visual sources, there are evidences of plastering in the throat of the dome and the formalization of the arches, which are considered as design ornaments in the Jokhah building. Two fine strips under the throat of the dome in the shape of the letter (kک/) are painted continuously and chainwise in black on a white chalk background. Another decoration includes a plaster strip in the shape of a seven-eighth or a congress in relief, and these two are among the most important arrays of this building. From around the building, unglazed pottery pieces with a simple linear and comb pattern, pottery types with turquoise and gilt underglaze were obtained (12-6 AH/12-18 M).

Conclusion 
The tomb is located as a single building outside the old rural context of Jokhah. The architectural features of this tomb, in terms of design and plan form, are in the group of tombs without towers, quadrangle with domes, and functionally, it is included in the category of non-religious tombs. The architectural structure of this building is very similar to the tombs of Amir Arslan Jazeb and Chalaqd in the 5th and 6th century AH. On the other hand, it has some features, especially the doming style, with the 7th AH buildings such as the Haruniyeh building and some 8th century AH buildings such as the Jame Mosque in Varamin and Jabaliyeh in Kerman. Through field investigations and analysis of the building map, it is possible to understand that the main design of the building is taken from the map of the domed square tombs of the Seljuk period, and the additional space outside the main door of the building belongs to later periods. The design of the Jokhah tomb built by Chalaqd was more impressive than the buildings of the Seljuk period in Khorasan. Also, the common features of the building such as functional elements and its materials with the Seljuk period and plaster painting decorations have shown more compatibility with the Ilkhanid period. Referring to Islamic sources and texts also does not provide accurate information about the construction time of this building. As mentioned earlier, 5th century AH, Tabas and its surrounding areas were the refuge of Ismaili claimants, and relative peace reigned in this region. In the middle of the 6th century Hijri, most of the buildings in this area and around it were destroyed by the attack of the Seljuks. Therefore, it seems that the tomb of Jokhah was formed after the aforementioned attacks. On the other hand, due to the absence of an inscription in the Jokhah building, the identity of the owner of the tomb, based on the generalization of reliable written sources of the Islamic period, goes back to a person named Malik, one of the Arab generals in the first century of Hijri. Since this building has not been scientifically explored and excavated so far, the dating of the building has been done by studying the organs, elements and comparing other tomb buildings. Therefore, the chronology of the Jokhah tomb is suggested to the end of the 6th century to the beginning of the 7th century AH.

Acknowledgment
Mr. Dr. Bahram Anani is grateful for providing information on the area of Montaziereh, Tabas.

Observation Contribution
In this article, the first author contributed 100% and the second and third authors contributed 90% and 80%.

Conflict of Interest
In writing this article, the authors are committed to scientific and research ethics and there is no conflict of interest between them.

Ahmad Nikgoftar, Abed Taghavi, Hasan Hashemi Zarj Abad, Amin Moradi,
year 8, Issue 30 (1-2025)
Abstract

Abstract
The historical city of Esfarayen is one of the most important and glorious cities of the Islamic period, which was one of the important provinces of Neishapur until the Mongol invasion, and shortly after the Mongol invasion and the destruction of Neishapur, it was revived and flourished more than before when the Ilkhanids came to power. At the beginning of Timur’s rule, this city was severely destroyed, and from the end of Timur’s period to the end of Shah Abbas Safaviy’s rule, it grew relatively slowly with political ups and downs, and it was abandoned due to the attack of Afghans and population changes. One of the most important valuable goods that was exported from China to other regions from the third to the twelfth century A.H. is Celadon pottery and the other is blue-white pottery. According to the 9 seasons of archaeological exploration in Shahr-e Belqays, 5 pieces of celadon and 2 pieces of blue-white pottery have been found, which have not been studied so far, and for this reason, research was necessary. The main questions of this research are, first of all, what period do these celadons and blue-and-white porcelain belong to? Secondly, according to the technical structure and typological comparison, are the pottery produced locally or extra-regionally, and how did it enter the city of Esfarayen? The third question is the reason for the presence of this type of pottery in the historical city of Esfarayen based on the archaeological context and historical documents. The descriptive-analytical research method and data collection method is based on field and library studies. The results showed that the celadons belong to the 2nd to the 8th century A.H. and the blue-and-white pottery are dated to the beginning of the 8th to the 11th century. The celadons and blue-whites studied are completely non-native and entered the city of Esfarayen by sea and land. Due to the quality and rarity, the type of motifs and the type of lines and writing themes are related to the noble and wealthy classes of the city.
Keywords: Shahr-e Belqays, Esfarayen, Islamic Period, Chinese Pottery, Ming Dynasty.

Introduction
Due to the strategic position of the land of Iran, which has always been on the path of important East-West communication routes from the past to the present, with a branch of the Silk Road passing through its soil as an intermediary between the civilizations of the Far East, especially China and Its western neighbors were like Iraq and Syria. Among the goods exported from China are the famous Celadon pottery and blue-and-white pottery. Due to the importance of Celadon and blue-and-white pottery, many countries were competing with each other based on their geographical region at that time to take over the market for the products of this art and industry. China was the main manufacturer of this product and Iran was the main highway for the commercial connection of this product to Europe and Africa. The city of Esfarayen is one of the important cities of the Islamic period, which was located on the commercial route of the Silk Road (Moghdisi, 1982: 566); (Ibn-e Howqal, 1986: 188; Jihani, 1988: 149); (Ibn-e Khurdazbah, 1991: 222). Due to the presence of powerful rulers and politicians such as Abu al-Abbas Esfarayeni in the Samanid and Ghaznavid periods, in the Seljuq and Ilkhanid periods such as Saeed Malik Bahauddin Juvini and in the Safavid period, Abu Muslim Khan enjoyed special growth and development and is one of the most prosperous and prosperous cities. Khorasan was considered that the commercial highways passed through this city (Aubin, 1971:121). In addition to crossing the trade route, the existence of thriving markets (Idrisi, 1409 AH, Vol. 2: 690-693)، (Hamiri, 1984: 56), and the production of important goods such as: cloth, metal containers, pottery, makes merchants and In addition to supplying goods imported from far away to this city, merchants should distribute the goods produced in this city to nearby cities and distant places, especially the Iranian plateau, Shamat, Anatolian Peninsula, North Africa, etc. One of the most important imported goods and popular among the governors and residents of this city is the dishes known as Celadon and Blue White, of which 5 pieces of such dishes have been discovered in archaeological excavations (Nikgoftar, 2014). Considering the discovery of this pottery from the archaeological context and the lack of introduction and study of it, and from the mention of writing marks on their surface, the upcoming article tries to analyze them in the context of history and archeology in addition to introducing and reading the lines.

Discussion and reasoning
 In the archaeological excavations of the city of Esfarayen, a total of 4 pieces of celadon pottery were found, one of which is of the Yue type (3rd-4th century) and the rest is of the Lank Chuan type (6th and 7th century). By examining and comparing these types of pottery, it can be said that in addition to neighboring areas and extra-regional areas, there has been direct or indirect trade with China since the 3rd century, considering the increase in the number of Lankchuan pottery related to the 6th century. And seventhly, from the reference of historical documents about the rule of the Jovini family over this city, their good relations with the Genghis family and the handing over of the government of the western part of Khorasan to this family (Jovini, 2012, vol.2, 222) and the political-economic journey of this family to Mongolia (ibid.: 222) and from the discovery of coins from this period in neighboring regions (Nikgoftar & Behnamfar, 2008) and extra-regional (ТЮНИБЕКЯАН, 2003) it can be said that in this period, Lank Chuan pottery came through the trade route of the Silk Road. That Esfarayen was located in one of these important commercial branches (Maghdisi, 1982: 566); (Ibn-e Howqal, 1986: 188; Jihani, 1988: 149); (Ibn-e Khurdazbah, 1991: 222) entered this city. Among other pottery that can be seen in China and Islamic lands in a significant way after Celadon is blue-and-white pottery, the production of these vessels became common in the states of Jijiang, Jianshui, Yusi and Jiangshan from the Yuan Dynasty, but the best type In the Jindjin states in the city of Chin Khwa (Chin-Hwa), which was related to the imperial furnaces (Bahranipour, 2022: 8). In the archaeological excavations in Shahr-e Belqays, 2 pieces of blue-and-white  pottery were identified, which according to the decorations and technical structure belong to the late Timurid and Safavid periods and the Ming period in China. It has been stated that according to the reference of historical documents and archaeological data mentioned above about the importance, value and use of these vessels and from the motifs and lines used and the examination of the technical structure of the vessels which proves that they are non-native, in general, it can be He said that these dishes were made for the order or use of the rich class and nobles in this city.

Conclusion 
By studying the piece of Chinese pottery in the city of Esfarayen, so far, two prominent pottery types of Celadan and blue-and-white  have been obtained, the first group of Celadan; that by comparative comparison of this species in terms of technical structure such as; The type of paste, glaze and construction form with examples of ceramics obtained from the sites of the Islamic period such as; Siraf, Mehruban, Kish, Neishapur, and Bandar Najiram, it can be said that this type of celadan is imported and non-native, and in terms of chronology, it is similar to the Yue and Lank Chuan types at the same time as the Samanian period until the end of the Ilkhanate period. The increase in the number of Lankchuan type of celadan along with other archaeological evidence and historical documents prove the prosperity and prosperity of this city in the Ilkhanid period and a transregional and global trade connection. Among the other types of pottery that were mentioned are blue-and-white  pottery, according to the comparative studies and examination of their technical structure, this type is also imported, according to the references in the historical documents about the destruction of this city in the attack of Timur and its lack of prosperity. It can be said that the presence of this type of pottery in this city dates back to the late Timurid period and the early Safavid period, during which time this city prospered again. According to the taxonomic examination and comparison of the pottery, which is completely similar to the pottery discovered in Hormuz, Taiwan, and the samples obtained from North Africa, it can be said that probably these pottery were indirectly and transregionally and globally from China to the port of Hormuz. And through the south-north highway and through the Jerjan-Tos commercial road, which was restored and reconstructed by Amir Ali Shir Navai in this period, he entered the city of Safrayan. Due to the rarity, quality of construction, themes and motifs, and on the one hand, historical documents indicate that these dishes were used in royal banquets or royal tombs, and from the discovery of these pieces from the citadel and noble houses, it can be said that these dishes are unique to The privileged and prosperous classes belonged to the historical city of Esfarayen. In general, the Chinese writings in the blue-and-white earthenware of Esfarayen city are as follows: the text of container number 9, the writing on the bottom of the container is incomplete and illegible, and the text on the bottom of the container contains the Chinese word called (peace, comfort), (longevity), (happiness) and (health). The text of container number 13 is written with the comparison and typology of the Chinese word du-ming-nlen-zuo, meaning the construction of the Ming period.

Hamid Reza Valipour, Iman Mostafapour, Hamzeh Karimi,
year 9, Issue 34 (3-2026)
Abstract

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.


Page 1 from 1