fa بازتاب تحولات اجتماعی-اقتصادی زرتشتیان در شکل‌گیری بناهای مذهبی و عام‌المنفعه؛ مطالعۀ موردی: محلۀ دستوران (شهری) و مریاباد (روستایی) در اواخر دورۀ قاجار و پهلوی تخصصی باستان‌شناسی Special Archeology پژوهشي Research <div style="text-align: justify;">هم‌زمان با تحولات اجتماعی و اقتصادی ایران در اواخر دورۀ قاجار، وضعیت زرتشتیان نیز دچار دگرگونی‌های بنیادین شد. شهر یزد به‌عنوان یکی از مهم‌ترین کانون‌های زیست زرتشتیان، شاهد تحولات مهمی در زمینۀ اجتماعی و اقتصادی زرتشتیان، به‌ویژه در اواخر دورۀ قاجار بود. این تحولات در بافت معماری زرتشتیان در حوزۀ شهری و روستایی بازتاب‌یافته است. باوجود گستردگی سکونتگاه‌های زرتشتیان در یزد، تاکنون پژوهش جامعی در زمینۀ تأثیر این تحولات بر این سکونتگاه‌ها صورت نگرفته است. پرسش اصلی این پژوهش آن است که، تحولات اجتماعی-اقتصادی زرتشتیان در اواخر دورۀ قاجار چه تأثیری در سکونتگاه‌های زرتشتیان در دو حوزۀ شهری و روستایی داشته است؟ این پژوهش با تکیه‌بر اسناد و منابع تاریخی به بازسازی شرایط اجتماعی-اقتصادی زرتشتیان و نیروهای مؤثر در رفع محدودیت‌های آنان می‌پردازد و سپس با بهره‌گیری از بررسی‌های میدانی، بازتاب این تحولات را تحلیل می‌کند. نتایج نشان می‌دهد که ارتقای پایگاه اجتماعی-اقتصادی زرتشتیان در این دوره، زمینه‌ساز ساخت‌وبازسازی بناهای مذهبی و عام‌المنفعه در سکونتگاه‌های آنان شد؛ تحولی که پیش از عصر ناصری سابقه نداشت و بازتابی از تلاش این جامعه برای تقویت هویت‌دینی و انسجام درون‌گروهی خود در جامعۀ اسلامی بود.&nbsp;</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Abstract</strong><br> As Iran underwent major political, social, and economic changes in the late Qajar period, the Zoroastrian community, particularly concentrated in the city of Yazd, experienced significant transformations in its social and economic conditions. These changes were gradually reflected in the architectural fabric of Zoroastrian settlements in both urban and rural contexts. Despite the wide distribution of Zoroastrian settlements in Yazd and its surrounding villages, comprehensive research addressing the impact of socio-economic transformations on their built environment remains limited. The main research question of this study is how socio-economic changes among Zoroastrians in the late Qajar period influenced their urban and rural settlements. The study assumes that the improvement of the Zoroastrians&rsquo; socio-economic status created the conditions necessary for the construction and reconstruction of religious and public buildings, which had previously been severely restricted. The research employs a qualitative methodology based on the analysis of historical documents and archival sources to reconstruct the socio-economic conditions of Zoroastrians and the forces that contributed to the reduction of their limitations. This analysis is complemented by field surveys of architectural remains in two case studies: the Dasturan neighborhood as an urban Zoroastrian settlement and the village of Moryabad as a rural settlement. The findings indicate that the improvement of the Zoroastrians&rsquo; socio-economic position from the Naseri period onward directly facilitated the emergence and expansion of religious and public buildings in both urban and rural areas, developments that had no precedent prior to this period. These architectural changes reflect not only economic advancement but also deliberate efforts to strengthen religious identity and internal social cohesion within Iran&rsquo;s Islamic society.<br> <strong>Keywords: </strong>Zoroastrian Architecture, Dasturan Neighborhood, Moryabad, Qajar Period, Pahlavi I Period.<br> <br> <strong>Introduction</strong><br> The political, social, and economic transformations of Iran during the late Qajar period profoundly altered the country&rsquo;s traditional structures. Within this broader context, the city of Yazd experienced notable economic growth due to its relative security and its strategic position along major commercial routes. These conditions contributed to Yazd&rsquo;s emergence as one of the most significant centers of Zoroastrian settlement in Iran, reinforced by the geographical concentration of Zoroastrians within the city. The economic prosperity of Yazd in this period was closely linked to the commercial networks established between local Zoroastrians and their coreligionists, the Parsis of India. These transregional connections played a crucial role in expanding trade activities and improving the economic standing of the Zoroastrian community. Prior to the Naseri period, however, Zoroastrians faced extensive social and economic restrictions, including limitations on cross-border trade and the exchange of certain goods. Such constraints also affected their ability to construct or even repair religious and public buildings, thereby limiting their visible presence in the urban and rural landscape. From the mid-nineteenth century onward, a combination of internal and external factors facilitated significant changes in the socio-economic conditions of Zoroastrians. The abolition of the jizya tax under Naser al-Din Shah, increased social and economic freedoms, and the growing involvement of Indian Parsis and emerging Zoroastrian associations collectively contributed to the gradual improvement of the community&rsquo;s status. As a result, Zoroastrians were able not only to strengthen their economic position and participate more actively in Yazd&rsquo;s international trade networks, but also to initiate the construction and reconstruction of religious and public buildings within their settlements. Despite the extensive presence of Zoroastrian neighborhoods in Yazd and its surrounding villages, limited scholarly attention has been paid to the ways in which these socio-economic transformations were reflected in the built environment of Zoroastrian settlements. Comparative analyses that address both urban and rural contexts remain scarce. This research seeks to address this gap by examining the architectural and spatial consequences of socio-economic change among Zoroastrians during the late Qajar and early Pahlavi periods.&nbsp;<br> Focusing on two contrasting case studies, the Dasturan neighborhood as the only urban Zoroastrian residential area in Yazd, and the village of Moryabad as a rural settlement, this study aims to analyze how broader social and economic transformations had materialized in the physical fabric of Zoroastrian communities. By combining historical sources with field-based architectural surveys, the research explores the relationship between socio-economic change and the formation of religious and public buildings in both urban and rural settings.<br> <br> <strong>Discussion</strong><br> This research adopts a combined historical and institutional approach to analyze the relationship between socio-economic transformations and the formation of religious and public buildings in Zoroastrian settlements. Data collection was carried out through an integrated methodology, including archival and documentary research alongside field-based architectural surveys. This approach allows for the reconstruction of the socio-economic conditions of Zoroastrians during the Qajar period and an examination of how institutional support influenced changes in the built environment. Historical evidence indicates that until the late Qajar period, Zoroastrians lived under difficult social conditions characterized by discrimination and legal restrictions. As ahl al-dhimma (protected religious minorities), they were subject to the jizya tax and deprived of many basic social and economic rights. They faced severe limitations in commercial activities, including restrictions on long-distance trade, import&ndash;export practices, and participation in professional mercantile networks. These constraints also limited their ability to construct or repair religious and public buildings, resulting in a largely invisible architectural presence in both urban and rural settings. From the mid-nineteenth century onward, however, the intervention of several supporting institutions led to a gradual transformation of these conditions. The abolition of the jizya tax by royal decree, the growing influence of the British government, and most significantly the financial and political support of Indian Parsis and emerging Zoroastrian associations contributed to the improvement of Zoroastrians&rsquo; socio-economic status. Following these changes, Zoroastrians were permitted to engage openly in trade, establish commercial companies, and participate in expanding trade routes between Iran and India, particularly through the city of Yazd. These developments facilitated the emergence of a Zoroastrian mercantile class and strengthened the economic foundations of the community. The architectural consequences of these transformations are clearly observable in both case studies examined in this research. In the urban context of the Dasturan neighborhood, the improved socio-economic position of Zoroastrians and the presence of institutional support enabled the construction and reconstruction of a wide range of religious and public buildings from the Naseri period onward. These included fire temples, darb-e-mehr structures, communal ritual spaces, schools, hospitals, water reservoirs, and libraries. A similar but more limited pattern can be observed in the rural settlement of Moryabad.<br> <br> <strong>Conclusion</strong><br> In response to the research question and drawing on historical sources and field-based investigations of the buildings, the findings indicate that the formation and development of religious and public buildings in both urban and rural contexts reflect the improvement of the social and economic conditions of Zoroastrians in the late Qajar and early Pahlavi periods. In Moryabad, efforts were largely concentrated on the construction or restoration of religious buildings such as fire temples and pilgrimage shrines, while public structures were limited to water reservoirs and two primary schools. By contrast, the Dasturan quarter, as an urban fabric, exhibited a far greater diversity and scale of public buildings, ranging from schools and high schools to a hospital, library, and water reservoir. The presence of supportive institutions and the emphasis on restoring religious buildings and constructing public structures, particularly schools in both urban and rural areas, not only indicate a reduction and moderation of the former restrictions imposed on Zoroastrians, especially regarding the restoration of religious sites and the establishment of schools, but also reflect this community&rsquo;s efforts to enhance its social standing and to consolidate and strengthen its religious identity and intra-group cohesion as a religious minority within an Islamic society.</div> معماری زرتشتیان, محلۀ دستوران, مریاباد, دورۀ قاجار, دورۀ پهلوی. Zoroastrian Architecture, Dasturan Neighborhood, Moryabad, Qajar Period, Pahlavi I Period. 239 266 http://journal.richt.ir/mbp/browse.php?a_code=A-10-919-3&slc_lang=fa&sid=1 Fatemeh Karimi فاطمه کریمی fatima.karimy69@gmail.com 0000000341960457 No Department of Archaeology, Faculty of Arts & Architecture, University of Mazandaran, Babolsar, Iran. گروه باستان‌شناسی، دانشکدۀ هنر و معماری، دانشگاه مازندران، بابلسر، ایران. Seyyed Rasool Mousavi Haji سید رسول موسوی‌حاجی r.mousavihaji@umz.ac.ir 0000000236728541 Yes Department of Archaeology, Faculty of Arts & Architecture, University of Mazandaran, Babolsar, Iran (Corresponding Author). گروه باستان‌شناسی، دانشکدۀ هنر و معماری، دانشگاه مازندران، بابلسر، ایران (نویسندۀ مسئول). Mohammad Esmaeil Esmaeili Jelodar محمداسماعیل اسماعیلی‌جلودار jelodar@ut.ac.ir 0000000250949471 No Department of Archaeology, Faculty of Literature and Human Science, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran. گروه باستان‌شناسی، دانشکدۀ ادبیات و علوم انسانی، دانشگاه تهران، تهران، ایران.